Mary Gibson Nakamarra

Mary Gibson Nakamarra was born in 1952 in the bush at a place called Kurnilwarri, located between Tjukurla and Patjarr in the Gibson Desert. She is married to Kelly Peterman, a senior law man and Director of Tjarlirli Art Centre at Tjukurla, WA. They reside near the Docker River community with their children.

The local language and collective identity of Aboriginal people from this area is known as Ngaanyatjarra. This language is related to other desert languages such as Pitjantjatjara, Pintupi, and Martu.

The landscape in this region is incredibly diverse, situated at the junction of the Great Victoria and Gibson deserts. It is bisected by dramatic ranges in the east and south, with long dunes of sandy country to the west. The area features rockholes, soakwaters (underground water), creeks, salt lakes, and claypans, all of which hold cultural significance and are often depicted in artworks.

Mary is an important cultural figure with exceptional knowledge of the region where she has lived all her life. She is a respected law woman and a key artist for Tjarlirli Arts. Mary lived in Tjukurla when it was first established as an outstation from Docker River in 1989 and remembers the building of what is now the Tjukurla community. She was one of the first artists to paint at Tjarlirli Art when it was established in 2006.

Currently, Mary divides her time between Tjukurla and Docker River, serving as a central figure at the art centers in both communities. Her deep understanding of the region is reflected in her artwork, where she often paints the sandhills, hills, rocks, and the two small rockholes in her country.

She told art centre staff at Tjarlili Arts: “I paint the sandhills, hills, rocks and the two little rockholes there, not big ones, little ones.” — Mary Gibson