Madeline Purdie: Ngarrangkarni - Dreamtime Stories

Madeline Purdie’s family is one of the most respected and artistically renowned families in the East Kimberley.  Her mother Shirley Purdie and grandmother Madigan Thomas, are both internationally renowned ochre artists and highly regarded Law women of the Gija community.

Guided by the great Shirley Purdie, daughter Madeline has produced a suite of works that respond to the sites and stories of their Ancestral Lands. Knowledge pertaining to these subjects has been passed down over time, along with a distinct visual language, and a mastery of natural earth pigment. Madeline takes her traditional country as the subject of her paintings including her mother’s country. She also paints Ngarrankarni, Creation stories, from her grandmother’s and grandfather’s country in Norton Bore, Violet Valley and Argyle. In her work she perpetuates the Ngarrankarni passed on to her by her older family members. This exhibition is presented in association with Warmun Art Centre and is on display at Japingka until 20 November.