Adrian’s subject was his sister, the award-winning artist Julie Nangala Robertson, a Warlpiri woman from Yuendumu, Northern Territory. Adrian and Julie have a strong connection despite the distance between their homes in Yuendumu and Mparntwe. When they do manage to see each other in Yuendumu, they spend time painting together at the art centre.
Using a restricted palette, Robertson captures his connection to Country and family through brushwork that is loaded with energy, drama and memories. His distinctive style captures his family and the desert mountains, ridges and trees of his mother’s Country, Yalpirakinu, also known as Yuelamu, north-west of Mparntwe.
Image: Adrian Jangala Robertson, ‘Jumpin’ Julie, Yuendumu’, synthetic polymer paint on canvas, 121.5 x 91.6 cm
