Martumili Artists
Martumili Artists was established by Martu people after consideration of other desert artists’ experiences of the art market. The Martu are the traditional owners of a vast area of the Great Sandy, Little Sandy and Gibson Deserts. Their country stretches from the Percival Lakes in the north, to Lake Disappointment in the south, and runs east, across the Canning Stock Route to the WA/NT border. The Martu are one people, encompassing Manyjilyjarra, Kartujarra, Putijarra and Warnman language speakers.
Most Martu people maintained an entirely independent, nomadic desert lifestyle until the 1950s and 1960s when they walked into settlements in response to a long and severe drought.
Today, Martu people live in their own communities and regularly visit regional centres such as Newman and Port Hedland.
One way in which Martumili Artists has been responsive to the wishes of the Martu artists as a group has been by establishing art spaces and studios which allow artists to work in their own communities. Since most of the communities are separated by a half days’ drive, this has been logistically complex, but remains critical to the success of a distinctively Martu arts centre.
The strength of Martu artists’ commitment to artistic practice is visible not only in their artwork, but also in the markedly independent, rigorous and practical path Martu people followed in establishing Martumili Artists. Making artworks, and managing the way those artworks are sold and exhibited are key ways in which Martu people are working to keep their culture strong.
Bugai Whyoulter's - Kunawarritji
$4,070 AUD
Bugai Whyoulter's - Kunawarritji
Kunawarritji. This painting depicts country around the artist's home of Kunawarritji. Kunawarritji is an important site in the great Sandy Desert where multiple stories and histories intersect. Originally an important spring water,at the turn of the 20th century Kunawarritji became a well (Well 33) along the Canning Stock Route. Each year throughout the 1930-50s, the well became a site of contact between the drovers, their cattle, and desert families such as Bugai's. Long before colonial history entered this country, other stories dominated this site. In the Jukurrpa (Dreaming), the Minyi Puru (Seven Sisters) stopped here and shaped a number of landforms before continuing on their epic journey east across the desert. Today, Kunawarritji is a site of return, a place where people have come back to continue making their life in the desert. Bugai continues to live and look after Kunawarritji today, painting it and the many other life-giving waterholes of her country further south along the Stock Route.
Size: 76cm x 122cm
Medium: Acrylic on Linen
Bugai Whyoulter's - Pintu Pintu
$4,840 AUD
Bugai Whyoulter's - Pintu Pintu
Pintu Pintu. This painting portrays Pintu Pintu. Pintu Pintu is a jurnu (rockhole place) with tuwa (sandhills) all around. It is not far from the community of Parnngurr, which the artist regularly visits.
Size: 122cm x 91cm
Medium: Acrylic on canvas
Bugai Whyoulter's - Punmu
$7,040 AUD
Bugai Whyoulter's - Punmu
Punmu.This painting portrays the country around Punmu a community that sits on the edge of an important warla (lake) known as Lake Dora. There are lots of important yinta (spring waters) all around Punmu. The lake runs south into the area known as Karlamilyi (Rudall River National Park) Rudall River runs into the bottom of the lake. Parnngurr Community is at the southern end of the Karlamilyi area.
Size: 106cm x 152cm
Medium: Acrylic on linen
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Bugai Whyoulter's - Untitled
$3,300 AUD
Bugai Whyoulter's - Untitled
Untitled. This painting depicts an area in the artist's country where she lived and travelled extensively throughout the pujiman (bush) days with her family. She travelled from what is now Balfour Downs station where she was born, all around the Parnngurr area and up and down the Canning Stock Route as far as Kunawarritji. Kunawarritji is also known as well 33 and is now her Ngurra (home) community. Bugai has extensive knowledge of all of this area and loves to paint and tell the stories of her country.
Size: 91cm x 91cm
Medium: Acrylic on linen
Bugai Whyoulter's - Untitled
$2,420 AUD
Bugai Whyoulter's - Untitled
This painting depicts an area in the artist's country where she lived and travelled extensively throughout the pujiman (bush) days with her family. She travelled from what is now Balfour Downs station, where she was born, all around the Parnngurr area and up and down the Canning Stock Route as far as Kunawarritji. Kunawarritji is also known as, Well 33 and is now her Ngurra (home) community. Bugai has extensive knowledge of all this area and loves to paint and tell the stories from her country.
Size: 61cm x 91cm
Medium: Acrylic on Linen
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Cyril Whyoulter's - Parnngurr Rockhole
$860 AUD
Cyril Whyoulter's - Parnngurr Rockhole
Size: 46cm x 76cm
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
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Kunawirritji Ngurra
$1,600 AUD
Nora Wompi's - Kunawirritji Ngurra
61 cm x 61 cm
Acrylic on canvas
Wompi paints the Country around her homelands of Kunawarritji, a place associated with the Minyipuru Jukurrpa (Seven Sister Dreaming). In 1906, Kunawarritji also became a well on the Canning Stock Route, and from an early age Wompi and her family had encounters with the white men who drove cattle along the route. As a young woman, Wompi followed the drovers north to Balgo Mission, where she stayed for many years. She learnt to paint there with her close friend, Eubena Nampitjin, and returned to Kunawarritji, where she lives and paints today, when it became a community in its own right.
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Kurta Kurta
$3,575 AUD
Bugai Whyoulter's - Kurta Kurta
Size: 91cm x 91cm
Medium: Acrylic on Linen
Kurta Kurta. Kurta Kurta is an area in the artists father’ country. Bugai and her family used to travel from Wantili (a large claypan north of Kartarru) to Kurta Kurta, which is back towards Parnngurr Aboriginal Community. There they used to meet up with the Yates family and then travel down to karalamilyi (a camp). They went to Karamilyi for ‘big melon’ which is like a watermelon. There is now a windmill at Kurta Kurta and lovely water. Bugai lived nomadically for a lot of her life, travelling extensively around the western desert from her birth place near Balford Downs Station, west of Parnngurr right up through Jigalong, the Canning Stock Route and up to Well 33 (Kunawarrtiji) where she now lives.
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May Chapman - Untitled
$4,990 AUD
May Chapman - Untitled
Untitled. This painting portrays part of the artist's country where their family lived traditionally during the pujiman (bush) days. The Martu lived very nomadically moving from water source to water source hunting and gathering bush tucker as they went. They would traverse very large distances visiting some areas in the dry and some in the wet season depending on the availability of water. As they travelled and hunted they would also burn areas of country creating a larger diversity of plant and animal life.
Size: 152cm x 76cm
Medium: Acrylic on linen
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Mukki Taylor's - Kulyakartu
$1,430 AUD
Mukki Taylor's - Kulyakartu
Kulyakartu. This painting depicts Kulyakartu, an area in the far north of the Martu homelands, near the Percival Lakes in the northern Great Sandy Desert. The artist has extensive knowledge of the country of this region. He grew up living traditionally during the pujiman (bush) days with his family.
Size: 61cm x 61cm
Medium: oil on canvas
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Mukki Taylor's - Kulyakartu
$1,430 AUD
Mukki Taylor's - Kulyakartu
Kulyakartu. This painting depicts Kulyakartu, an area in the far north of the Martu homelands, near the Percival Lakes in the northern Great Sandy Desert. The artist has extensive knowledge of the country of this region. He grew up living traditionally during the pujiman (bush) days with his family.
Size: 61cm x 61cm
Medium: oil on canvas
Please note the price does not include delivery
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Ngamaru Bidu - Wantili Ngamaru
$4,400 AUD
Ngamaru Bidu - Wantili Ngamaru
Wantili is a big lyinji, (clay pan) near Well 24 on the Canning Stock Route. The area is dominated by claypans surrounded by tuwa, (sandhills). The artist travelled all throughout this country when she was younger during the Pujiman, (bush) days. After the rain there is alot of water in the claypan and people still visit there regularly.
Size:76cm x 152cm
Medium: Acrylic on Linen
Nora Wompi - Kunawarritji Ngurra
$3,630 AUD
Nora Wompi - Kunawarritji Ngurra
Wompi paints the Country around her homelands of Kunawarritji, a place associated with the Minyipuru Jukurrpa, (Seven Sister Dreaming). In 1906, Kunawarrtiji also became a well on the Canning Stock Route and from an early age Wompi and her family had encounters with the white men who drove cattle along the route. As a young woman, Wompi followed the drovers north to Balgo Mission, where she stayed for many years. She learnt to paint there with her close friend, Eubena Nampitjin and returned to Kunawarritji, where she lives and paints today, when it became a community in its own right.
Size: 91cm x 91cm
Medium: Acrylic on canvas
Nora Wompi's - Kunawirritji Ngurra
$4,070 AUD
Nora Wompi's - Kunawirritji
Size: 76cm x 122cm
Acrylic on linen
Kunawirritji. Wompi paints the Country around her homelands of Kunawarritji, a place associated with the Minyipuru Jukurrpa (Seven Sister Dreaming). In 1906, Kunawarritji also became a well on the Canning Stock Route, and from an early age Wompi and her family had encounters with the white men who drove cattle along the route. As a young woman, Wompi followed the drovers north to Balgo Mission, where she stayed for many years. She learnt to paint there with her close friend, Eubena Nampitjin, and returned to Kunawarritji, where she lives and paints today, when it became a community in its own right.
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