One of Twelve Kulyakartu tie by Muuki Taylor

In this exquisite landscape study, Muuki Taylor depicts the grass country around Kulyakartu, in the north of the Great Sandy Desert. There is very good hunting at Kulyakartu, but no permanent water. During pujiman (traditional, desert dwelling) times, Taylor’s family walked there each year following the wet season.

Taylor paints his Country in all its seasonal stages, paying close attention to the after-effects of waru (fire burning). Controlled burns play a crucial role in encouraging greater diversity in plant and animal life, regenerating growth and assisting with hunting. In this work, the artist leaves us to consider what seasonal shifts may be at play. Taylor’s richly layered dot work and blazing colour palette seem to evoke nyurnma (burnt ground) – smouldering embers still aglow after a recent burn.