Angela Watson Australian, Pitjantjatjara, b. 1966

Angela Watson was born in 1966 in Warburton, a remote community in Western Australia, and is the daughter of Angampa Martin, a renowned Irrunytju artist. As a young child, Angela and her family relocated to Pipalyatjara, where she continues to live today. In the early 2000s, the first Aboriginal art studios were set up in the western region of the APY Lands. It was during this time that Angela started her arts practice. Her artworks draw influence from ‘tjukurpa’ (traditional stories), particularly those of ‘Minyma Kutjara’ (Two Women Dreaming) and the Mamu Tjukurpa (Spirits Tjukurpa). They are both important stories from her father’s country, Irrunytju, which lies just over the border from Pipalyatjara in Western Australia.

The Mamu Tjukurpa tells the story of Alkuwari who had to travel a long distance to get food for her tjamu's (grandfather and grandson). In her absence, the boy sets the wiltja on fire where the old manis hidden. Alkuwari rushes back and calls her family to find the boy. They become the Mamu spirits of the six Mamu rockholes, to the South of Irrunytju. She works with bold, graphic colour palettes and is notable in her use of both contemporary techniques and composition to tell the traditional story.