Grandmothers Journey 2011 by Marie Napurulla, 94x47cm, 14226MR

In Grandmother’s Journey, Marie Napurrula continues her heartfelt exploration of ancestral movement across Country, focusing on the ceremonial travels undertaken by her grandmother’s family. These journeys were made using two camels, moving between important cultural sites to attend ceremony and maintain Law. The pathways are mapped through rhythmic patterns and concentric circles, marking waterholes, camps, and meeting places along the Luritja road that links Uluru and Kings Canyon, passing through Areyonga and Jay Creek before reaching Hermannsburg (Ntaria).

The painting is grounded in Marie’s family history. Her great-grandmother, Imbana, was a traditional bush woman born at Tempe Downs, whose Country lies around Kings Canyon and the Mereenie Loop. Imbana’s daughter—Marie’s grandmother—was taken from her family at Jay Creek at the age of nine as part of the Stolen Generations. A bush child who spoke no English, her displacement left a lasting absence that echoes through Marie’s work.

Born on 19 September 1967 in Waratah, New South Wales, Marie later returned to Alice Springs to reclaim what had been interrupted before her birth. Through painting, she reconnects with inherited knowledge and passes these stories and traditions on to her seven children.

Here, the act of painting becomes both remembrance and restoration. By retracing her grandmother’s journeys across this sacred land, Marie affirms continuity, resilience, and healing—honouring her grandmother’s spirit while strengthening her own connection to Country.