Kieren Karritpul: YERR WURRKEME MARRGU

Karritpul is a Ngen’giwumirri man who lives and works in the remote community of Nauiyu/Daly River, 230 km south of Darwin.

He comes from a family of master weavers and artists and has been making art since he was 15 years old.

'I paint at home on the floor, either inside or out on the verandah,' says Karritpul. 'My uncle used to tell me, "You have to sit on the floor so the ancestors can watch from above and guide you as you work."'

Growing up in Nauiyu, Karritpul would often observe his mother, grandmother and great-grandmother as they made dilly bags and fish nets. Many of the paintings in the exhibition depict these traditional objects in intricate detail, revealing the different designs and varieties of weave that give them form.

Created over the course of a year, YERR WURRKEME MARRGU (meaning 'new works') speaks to Karritpul’s burgeoning ambition as a contemporary Indigenous artist keen to share his cultural knowledge with as wide an audience as possible.