Words by Mae Ganambarr
The artists featured in Art, Community & Everyday Life celebrate the moments that shape life in their communities. From humorous scenes in Ali Curung and the gathering of honey ants to memories of station life at Wave Hill, these paintings capture experiences that are deeply personal while reflecting the shared histories, knowledge and relationships that connect people to Country and community.
Graham Beasley - Arlpwe Art Centre
Images courtesy of Arlpwe Art Centre
At Arlpwe Art Centre, Graham Beasley captures the humour and character of community life in Ali Curung.
Graham Beasley (Arlpwe Art Centre) is an Alyawarr man, respected Elder, and long-serving arts worker from Ali Curung. While he has spent many years supporting the work of Arlpwe Art Centre, he has increasingly focused on developing his own artistic practice. Graham is known for his distinctive paintings featuring cartoon-like animal characters who act out scenes from everyday life in Ali Curung. Through humour and imagination, he transforms familiar experiences into playful visual stories that celebrate community, relationships, and the unique character of life on Country.
While Graham celebrates the rhythms of contemporary community life, Joy Turner turns her attention to the knowledge passed between generations.
Graham Beasley, Who's ruckin today?, Acrylic on canvas, 61cm x 46cm, 2025, Image courtesy of Arlpwe Art and Culture Centre
Joy Turner - Engawala Art Centre
Images Courtesy of Engawala Art Centre
At Engawala Art Centre, Joy Turner creates works that reflect the knowledge and traditions she has inherited from her family and community. Joy has lived in Engawala all her life and learnt to paint from her mother, who was a major influence on her artistic practice. Her featured work tells the story of honey ants, a prized bush food found deep underground in the Central Australian desert.
The painting depicts women gathering together to search for honey ant nests, carefully reading signs in the landscape and digging with traditional tools. Curved forms represent the women sitting on the ground, while intricate patterns evoke the desert environment and the hidden movement of the ants beneath the surface. More than a depiction of bush tucker, the work celebrates the transfer of knowledge between generations, as children learn from mothers, aunties, and grandmothers about caring for Country and respecting the land.
Women collecting honey ants, Joy Turner, Acrylic on canvas, 49cm x 112cm, 2026, Image by Kirsty Tilmouth
Artwork Quote
This painting tells the story of the yellow and black honey ants that live deep underground in the Central Australian desert. These ants store sweet liquid in their bodies, and for Aboriginal families living in nearby communities, they are a special bush treat.
The women know how to find the nests by looking for small piles of loose earth on the ground. This shows where the ants have pushed the soil up from below. Sometimes the nests are very deep and can be found near the roots of a mulga tree. The women use their digging sticks to gently search through the soil until they reach the ants.
The curved shapes in the painting represent the women sitting on the ground as they work together. Their digging sticks lie beside them, ready to be used. The dots and patterns show the land, the nests, and the movement of the ants beneath the surface.
Honey ants are very sweet, and finding them is always good. In many remote communities, going out to collect honey ants is a tradition that brings families together. Children learn from their mothers, aunties, and grandmothers about where to look, how to dig carefully, and how to respect the land while gathering food.
This knowledge has been passed down through many generations. The painting celebrates the skill of the women, their connection to Country, and the joy of sharing bush tucker gathered from the desert.
Pauline Ryan - Karungkarni Arts
Images courtesty of Karungkarni Arts
Pauline Ryan offers another perspective, drawing on memories of station life and the experiences that shaped both her family and the wider Gurindji community.
Pauline Ryan (Karungkarni Arts) brings personal history to her work through memories of life at Jinparrak (Old Wave Hill Station). Born into a family of station workers, Pauline spent her youth carrying out demanding labour, including working as a milker alongside her mother. Her painting recalls these experiences, depicting a cow in the milking yard and the surrounding landscape that formed part of her daily life.
The work also reflects broader histories connected to the Gurindji struggle for land rights. Pauline and her husband were among those who left Wave Hill Station following the historic Wave Hill Walk-Off led by Vincent Lingiari in 1966. Through visual references to station life, workers’ housing, and the landscape itself, Pauline’s painting preserves both personal memory and collective history. Her work reminds viewers that major historical events are often built upon the lived experiences of individuals and families.
Pauline Ryan Kilngarri Nanaku, Jinparrak – Milker Yard, 2025. Acrylic on canvas, 610 × 610 mm. Photo: Courtesy of Karungkarni Art and Culture, 2025
Together, these artists remind us that culture is lived every day. Whether through humour, shared knowledge, family memories, or work on Country, their paintings preserve experiences that might otherwise go unrecorded. In doing so, they demonstrate that everyday life is not separate from culture—it is where culture is practised, remembered, and passed on to future generations.
See you in August 2026!
The artists featured in Art, Community & Everyday Life demonstrate how the stories of daily life are deeply connected to culture, identity and Country. Through scenes of community life, bush food gathering, family memories and station work, each artist shares experiences that reflect the enduring strength of their communities and the knowledge passed between generations.
These paintings remind us that everyday moments are rich with meaning. Whether celebrating the humour of community life, honouring traditional practices, or preserving memories of significant places and events, the artists reveal how lived experience becomes an important record of cultural continuity. Their works celebrate the people, places and relationships that shape identity and strengthen connections to Country.
Together, these artists show that Indigenous art is not only a powerful form of creative expression but also a way of preserving history, sharing knowledge and celebrating community. By capturing the moments that shape everyday life, they ensure that stories of resilience, belonging and cultural strength continue to be shared with future generations.
Join us at DAAF this year to experience these stories firsthand and connect with the artists and Art Centres bringing culture, knowledge and creativity to Darwin. Mark your calendars and be part of the celebration.