In this outstanding body of work, 78-year-old Kimberley artist Shirley Purdie relates a number of important stories. These include ancient creation stories of her Gija people such as Three dreamtime stories which details a Kangaroo, Young Boy, and Eagle & Crow Dreaming, the iconic Warmun Moon Dreaming and The Old Woman, the Magpie and the Man.
Others tell of more recent events such as those of the colonial frontier. The graphic recording of such occurrences in rich-hued, textured ochres and confident painterly style, by such a senior, knowledgeable Gija artist and elder as Shirley Purdie makes these works of both great beauty and profound significance.
Her reason for recording these and other stories for posterity as she says in the painting that documents her own history My Story Growing up at Mabel Downs, is to "honour the struggles and triumphs of my family, celebrating our journey and the strength that defines our legacy."
Presented in partnership with Warmun Art Centre