Sonia Kurarra
Sonia Kurarra
BORN
1952, NOONKANBAH, WA
COUNTRY
NOONKANBAH
COMMUNITY
MINDI RARDI, FITZROY CROSSING
LANGUAGE
WALMAJARRI
About
Sonia was born in 1952, and grew up on the river at Yungngora, on Noonkanbah Country. Passionate about art from an early age, Sonia remembers helping the kindergarten teacher teach art – taking the children out to the Sandy Billabong to teach them how to paint, and dance, and passing on ngarrangkarni (Dreaming stories).
Sonia paints the sandy billabong country along the stretch of the Fitzroy River that runs directly behind the community. After the floodwaters recede, the billabongs hold a plentiful supply of parlka (barramundi), kurlumajarti (catfish) and bream. Elements of this country inhabit Sonia’s paintings, with gapi (fish), parrmarr (rocks) where the fish is cooked, ngurti (coolamon) and a karli (boomerang) materializing out of her moody canvases.
Sonia began painting at Mangkaja Arts in the early 1990s and has exhibited in numerous group shows since. Her first solo show in Sydney (2009) received critical acclaim, and she has since established herself as one of Mangkaja’s leading artists.
WORK
In this work, Sonia Kurarra depicts the abundance of life beneath the surface of the Fitzroy River that flows through her Country, Martuwarra. Kurarra artfully captures the eternal movement of the river with her energetic linework and flowing vertical lines, depicting a vibrant ecosystem teeming with life.
Of the painting, Kurarra says,
‘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 (barramundi). 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.’
