Esther Bruno Nangala / Marrapinti (19320)

Esther Bruno Nangala is a Luritja/Pintupi woman and the granddaughter of one of Australia’s most celebrated Indigenous artists, Naata Nungurrayi. Esther was born in Alice Springs in 1981 and brought up in Christmas Creek, near Fitzroy Crossing, and later in Kintore.

Esther was schooled at Yirara College in Alice Springs where she was taught art and schooled in both Pintupi and English. After returning to Kintore in 1999, Esther started to paint, receiving the benefit of a long apprenticeship under Naata and her sister, Nancy Ross Nungurrayi. At the same time, Esther was involved in important cultural initiatives such as the translation of some Pintupi songs into English.

Initially involved in community collaboratives, Esther started to paint in her own right in 2009. Since that time, she has made stunning leaps forward in the development of her own style and methodology for relating the stories around the important woman’s site of Marrapinti. Bold in her use of colour and tending towards intricate designs, Esther, along with Gracie Ward Napaltjarri, represents an exciting view into the future of desert art. She paints bold traditional designs associated with women’s sites, ceremonies and the laws of her Country. Esther’s works are vibrant and brightly coloured and often quite textured due to the large quantities of paint she applies to the canvas. The influence of her grandmother’s work is evident in Esther’s paintings, who is known for her representations of Women’s Law and Tingari Cycle.

Awards and Recognition
2019 KAAF (Korea Australia Arts Foundation) Prize – Semi Finalist

Selected Group Exhibitions
2019 Defining Tradition: the first wave & its disciples, Kate Owen Gallery, Sydney
2019 Landscape Colours, Japingka Gallery, Fremantle
2012 Heirs and Successors, Japingka Gallery, Fremantle

Esther’s stories are linked with the site of Marrapinti, to the west of the community of Kiwirrkura. Marrapinti literary means nosebone. Her paintings often relate to women’s ceremonies. In mythological times, women camped at this site before moving further east. When at Marrapinti the women collected kampurarrpa (bush berries) from the small plant solanum centrale. The berries can be eaten directly from the bush or ground to make a type of damper. Esther paints the landscape with Tali (sand hills) and puli (rocky hills).