Indigenous Australians have been creating art on our soil for thousands of years. Widely acknowledged as the oldest unbroken art form in the world, Aboriginal art is renowned for its visual storytelling, exploring broad subject matters across a variety of mediums and preserving the extraordinary culture of First Nations people.
Here’s a few of our favourite West Australian Aboriginal artists fresh from their exhibition at Fremantle Art Centre's 2023 Revealed Exhibition.
JD Penangke
@jdpenangke
You’re likely already familiar with the work of Whadjuk/Ballardong artist and educator JD Penangke. Since 2014, she has been painting expansive murals across Perth, with her work adorning the walls of Midland Gate shopping centre, the under-side of a bridge at UWA, Perth Airport’s train station and even splayed across the Scorcher’s Indigenous jerseys. Next time you’re in the city, check out her mural that flows off the wall onto the laneway at 92 William Street.
Zali Morgan
@zalimorganart
With a Bachelor in Creative Arts (Fine Art) under her belt and over twelve months of experience as the Assistant Curator of Indigenous Art at the Art Gallery of Western Australia, Zali Morgan is an emerging artist to watch. Having recently decided to reconnect with her mob and culture, her artwork depicts her own experiences as a Noongar woman living and working in Boorloo through steel plate etching and reduction linocut prints.
Michael Banks
@michaelbanksartist
Born and raised in the north-west of Laverton, Michael Banks is a self-taught Wongi visual artist creating vibrant landscapes and haunting portraits on canvas and paper. With a natural knack for colour harmonising, Banks’ artwork explores memories of his own life, as well as stories of the Dreamtime from his community.
Eileen Bray
@warmunart
Gija woman Eileen Bray is a jack of all trades. Published author, teacher, translator and artist, she is a widely respected member of the Warmun Community, having been involved with the Kija (Gija) language program at the Ngalangangpum community school since its inception in 1979. Bray’s work is centered around her traditional country within Purnululu, (also known as the Bungle Bungles) and its Ngarrangkarni (Dreaming) stories.
Maisie Ward
@spinifexhillartists
One of the 40+ critically acclaimed and award-winning artists from Spinifex Hill Studio is Maisie Ward, a Luritja woman from Papunya in the Northern Territory. Her intricate dot and line paintings depict Dreamtime stories that have been passed down generations through Maisie's family, including those told by her father Dr George Ward Tjapaltjarri, a well known artist and Ngangkari, or medicine man.
Owen Biljabu
@owenbiljau
Coming from a long line of eminent artists is Owen Biljabu, a self-taught Martumili artist from the Western Deserts. Using traditional oil and acrylic painting techniques, he is known for his portraits of members of community leaders, other Martu artists and influential figures in his life. As the only member of Martumili artists to paint portraiture, Biljabu is making a name for himself as not only an undeniable talent artist, but a Martu cultural leader as well.
Claude Waanamal
@waringarri_arts
Like Biljabu, Kira Kora artist Claude Waanamal comes from a family of successful artists. The son of highly regarded painter David Mowaljarlai, Waanamal learned to paint by watching his father and is now making a name for himself through his powderful paintings. His work incorporates various incarnations of Wandjina, a powerful Rain Maker spirit associated with the north-west region of the Kimberley.
Colleen Drage
@kuarlumangga
A senior Nhanda woman and cultural leader in the community, Colleen Drage is a founding member of Ku’arlu Mangga—Moonie Mia’s Aboriginal Art & Cultural Centre known for its intergenerational community art projects. Often working in collaboration with her daughter Mauretta Drage, her art explores her strong connection to Country through predominantly black and white oil-based paintings with vibrant pops of colour.