Kuwarritja Irriitinguru: A Way Before and a Way Now brings together works by Candy Nelson Nakamarra and Carbiene McDonald Tjangala, exploring cultural continuity, ancestral knowledge, and the enduring relationship between Country and contemporary painting.
Through distinct yet deeply connected practices, both artists draw on inherited Tjukurrpa (Dreaming), mapping water sites, landforms, and seasonal change through layered mark-making and colour. Nelson Nakamarra’s intricate, lace-like surfaces reimagine stories passed down from her father, while McDonald Tjangala’s grid-based compositions translate sacred waterhole narratives into rhythmic, abstract form.
Together, the exhibition reflects the persistence of cultural knowledge—honouring the past while asserting its relevance in the present.
Image: Candy Nelson Nakamarra, Kalipinypa 547-25, 2025, acrylic on canvas, 181 × 152 cm
