Ngura (Country), 2024

Birthplace: Shirley Well, SA • Language Group: Yankunytjatjara

Mary Tjapukula Brumby was born in the bush at Shirley Well and grew up in Indulkana, living in a wiltja (hand-built shelter) with her family by the Iwantja creek.

Mary has had a long career as an artist at Iwantja Arts, across jewelry making, batik, printmaking and painting. Mary is also widely regarded as a performer of inma (traditional cultural song/dance) and one of her proudest moments was travelling to Sydney in 2000 to perform inma at Olympic events.

Mary’s painting practice is informed by her dedication to the traditions of inma as a tool for story-telling and passing down important cultural knowledge across generations – her recent paintings are influenced by women’s cultural body paint designs.