Yaritji Connelly

At the time of Yaritji Connelly's birth, many Indigenous Australians who lived in remote Australia were not born in a hospital. In Yaritji's case, she was born in the bush at an important cultural site called Malara Rockhole, the place of the Wanampi Tjukurpa (Water Serpent Dreaming). Her father's country is Inarki and her mother's place is Anumarapiti.

As a young girl, Yaritji walked with her family to Warburton Mission in Western Australia, where she spent some time at school. Her father became homesick and consequently moved back home with his family. Yaritji became a proud member of the Kalka community in South Australia, where she lived with her extended family.

Yaritji was one of the founding directors of Ninuku Arts and had been instrumental in the success and the strong governance of the centre. She was also a highly respected cultural woman who demonstrates great leadership during ceremony. The story she painted the most was Malara Tjukurpa, her place of birth. She uses a rolling repetition of arches to depict the coil of the powerful water serpent. Yaritji leans towards a palette of punchy and complex colours, often choosing reds, oranges, yellows and greens. She puts them together with elegance and simplicity, occasionally tinting the colours to create subtle colour shifts.