Ngura Pulka – Epic Country
Ngura Puḻka – Epic Country is a landmark artist-led project at the National Gallery of Australia presenting major works by senior First Nations artists and collectives from the Aṉangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands, Coober Pedy, and Tarntanya/Adelaide. Originally scheduled for 2023, the exhibition was postponed during an independent review into authorship, which ultimately validated the works. Ngura Puḻka celebrates the deep connection to Country and the powerful Tjukurpa, Aṉangu law and cultural stories embedded in each work. Large-scale paintings bring these stories to life, using both vivid bursts of colour and subtle, muted palettes to convey the spiritual and physical landscapes of the artists’ homelands. For senior artists, these monumental works represent the freedom to explore, express and share their cultural knowledge, continuing a legacy of storytelling through the APY art movement. Until August 23.
Image credit: Pauline Minmila Wangin, Pitjantjatjara people, Betty Tjulpukuna Campbell, Pitjantjatjara people, and Emma Singer, Pitjantjatjara people, in Mimili, South Australia, 2022 with their work Kapi (Water), 2022
© the artists / Mimili Maku Arts / APY Art Centre Collective, Courtesy Mimili Maku Arts and APY Art Centre Collective,
Photo: Rohan Thomson
