Untitled

"Martuwarra is my river country; this painting is all about the Fitzroy River which flows down through Nookanbah where I live. All kinds of fish live in the water, we catch big mob of fish here. I like Parlka (barrumundi). We catch catfish and brim here too. Nganku(shark), wirritunany (sawfish) and stingray also live here. These fish live in these waters long after the flood has gone."

Sonia Kurrara grew up in the river country at Noonkanbah (Yungngnora), south-west of Fitzroy Crossing in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. She has worked through Mangkaja Arts since its establishment in the early 1990s. For many years she painted sporadically and predominanetly on paper as she balanced her own career with teaching art and culture in the community kindergarten. In recent times she has worked more consistently, and started to also paint on canvas. Kurarra’s vibrant, energetic works celebrate her riverland home, particualy the location of Martuwarra on the Fitzroy River at Noonkanbah, south-west of Fitzroy Crossing in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.