Damien and Yilpi Marks / My Country

A husband-and-wife collaboration bringing together Western Desert and APY artistic traditions. Their wider practice draws on Dreaming narratives, Country and cultural knowledge inherited from respected painting families. Damien Marks was born in 1967 at Haasts Bluff in the Northern Territory. He later moved to Papunya with his family, where he was introduced to painting at an early age by founding figures of the Western Desert art movement, including Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri, Billy Stockman Tjapaltjarri and Uta Uta Tjangala.

Through them, Damien learned important Dreaming narratives and cultural knowledge that continue to underpin the couple’s practice. Yilpi Marks learned her Dreaming narratives from her parents and grandparents while growing up in a strong artistic family. Her mother, Tjulkiwa Atira-Atira, and her late father, Michael Atira-Atira, were both highly regarded artists, with artworks held in major collections including the Art Gallery of South Australia and the National Gallery of Australia.