Emma Singer is one of the strong emerging painters in Mimili. She works alongside her mother Pauline Wangin, and has collaborated with her on several paintings. Through the visual language passed from generation to generation, she explores her connection to manta (country) and Tjukurpa (an ongoing, eternal, life-giving transformative power that accounts for every aspect of existence). "My artwork holds the memories of my aunties, my mother, and grandmother, all the women that have taught me about country, and about our culture. When I paint I remember all those women and their words keep me strong. I don’t paint one specific storyline or site, but rather the many paths and journeys taken by my people, always following our storylines and movements of country. Some important elements in my paintings are the rock holes that carry fresh water, the waterways that connect them both above and below ground, the fields of spinifex that used to be everywhere, the campsites of my ancestors, and the paths they used to walk. Our culture has changed a lot over the past few generations, but I love to hear about the old times and always carry this knowledge of my ancestors whom knew to live off the land. I learned about the waterways and the natural rock holes from my grandmother, and that’s why I paint them today. To keep this knowledge strong even though times are changing.

We don’t rely on finding these rockholes anymore to survive. But we do rely on our culture to stay strong, to stay proud. This is the story I want to tell with my work: Remembering the importance of our culture, our families, our connections to country — to keep our spirits strong always.