The King Sisters - Sarrita King & Tarisse King

Sarrita King and Tarisse King were born in Adelaide, South Australia, and are the daughters of the highly regarded Aboriginal artist, William King Jungala (1966 – 2007).  Sarrita and Tarisse have their Aboriginal heritage from the Gurindji clan, which is located far to the south west of  Katherine in the Northern Territory.

The Gurindji came to public attention during the 1960s and 1970s when members employed by the Wave Hill cattle station led a landmark case which became the first successful Aboriginal land rights claim in Australia. Like their forefathers, Sarrita King and Tarisse King  are committed individuals who are determined to communicate the inseparable connection they and their ancestors have with the Australian land.

Sarrita King and Tarisse King grew up in Darwin in the Northern Territory, where connections to Aboriginality and the land were nurtured. Experiences of extreme weather and primal landscape have provided some of the artistic themes for the work, along with road trips made between Darwin, Katherine and Adelaide, where their father resided.

The paintings provide a personal visual articulation of the earth’s language, where the artists seek to visually communicate the inspiration and ties to the land, and keep their ancestral narrative alive by finding new ways to bring the knowledge of the past into the present world.

Stylistically, Sarrita King and Tarisse King use traditional Aboriginal art techniques and iconography, but also incorporate unorthodox techniques inherited from their father, as well as techniques developed through their own practice. The paintings of  these gifted emerging artists is based on the philosophies and culture taught to them by their father, and a represents a homage to the important first generation of Aboriginal artists who have provided a strong path for following generations.

Further information is available on exhibiting artists on the following links

• Sarrita King Paintings
• Tarisse King Paintings