Nora NAGARRA was born and grew up in Rijal Country, known as Turner Station, which lies in Western Australia near the Northern Territory border. Joorrum Country is also Nagarra’s country, and both Joorrum and Rijal are the subject of her paintings. As a young girl, Nagarra worked on the station doing domestic work like washing clothes, milking cows and making butter. When she grew older, she worked as a cook in the stock camps, and says this was very hard work.
Nagarra moved to Halls Creek with her family she says, 'when the government bin come and take all the country'. This was when equal pay for Indigenous workers was introduced in the late 1960s and many Indigenous people were forced to leave the stations.
Nagarra started painting when she was living in Halls Creek, where she did some work with the Halls Creek School. Nagarra moved to Warmun and now paints with the Warmun Art Centre. Nagarra's paintings are compositions made up of dots of varying ochre colours. She captures the contours of her country in rhythmic patterns made up of these small marks.
Nora NAGARRA was born and grew up in Rijal Country, known as Turner Station, which lies in Western Australia near the Northern Territory border. Joorrum Country is also Nagarra’s country, and both Joorrum and Rijal are the subject of her paintings. As a young girl, Nagarra worked on the station doing domestic work like washing clothes, milking cows and making butter. When she grew older, she worked as a cook in the stock camps, and says this was very hard work.
Nagarra moved to Halls Creek with her family she says, 'when the government bin come and take all the country'. This was when equal pay for Indigenous workers was introduced in the late 1960s and many Indigenous people were forced to leave the stations.
Nagarra started painting when she was living in Halls Creek, where she did some work with the Halls Creek School. Nagarra moved to Warmun and now paints with the Warmun Art Centre. Nagarra's paintings are compositions made up of dots of varying ochre colours. She captures the contours of her country in rhythmic patterns made up of these small marks.