Ngura Puḻka – Epic Country

Ngura Puḻka – Epic Country is an artist-led project, showcasing major works by senior First Nations artists and collectives from the Aṉangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands, Coober Pedy and Tarntanya/Adelaide, in South Australia. These ambitious works depict Country while celebrating the powerful Tjukurpa (Aṉangu law/cultural stories) that lies within.

An epic project both in scale and scope, the creation of large-scale paintings reinforces artists’ connection to Country. Through stories and distinctive designs, they continue to strengthen their cultural knowledge, and knowledge of their homelands. Individual artists and women’s and men’s collectives bring their Tjukurpa to life on canvas – sometimes through explosions of colour, sometimes in a muted palette.

From the beginning of the APY art movement, these artists have embraced the opportunity to celebrate and share their stories through monumental works of art. Senior women artists, as Community leaders, describe these major works as representing the ultimate freedom of cultural expression, exploration and depiction of their Tjukurpa and Ngura (land).