Colleen Ngwarraye Morton

Colleen Ngwarraye Morton was born in 1957 into the Ngwarraye skin group. She paints Arreth, which translates to ‘strong bush medicine’, paying homage to the significance and use of traditional bush medicine. Morton often depicts her grandfather’s country where her family hunt and where her mother and grandmother taught her the importance of seasonal medicines and plants. She was one of the original artists in the batik movement that emerged in Utopia, Central Australia, in the 1980s. Recent exhibitions include the Florence Biennale, Italy (2015), Redot Gallery, Singapore (2012) and Batiks of the Desert, National Gallery of Victoria (2008).

Black and white portrait of Indigenous woman in bushland with plants all around her, holding out her hands to show the seeds in them.

Colleen Ngwarraye Morton. Photo: Lara Damiani.

Colleen has two designs within our Ampilatwatja Collection: Singing Bush Medicine and Gather.

Interior view of a modern office space showing upholstered low chair with First Nations design on fabric in blue, a black coffee table, low round ottoman, in front of planter pot with tall cactus plant and white wall with windows, concrete floor

Singing Bush Medicine in ‘Night Sky’ on our Velvet, on the Wes Armchair by Tom Fereday, through Zenith. Photo: Haydn Cattach.

Singing Bush Medicine represents a ceremony performed by women to celebrate bush medicine through dancing, singing and painting the body in ochre. This design is about singing to country, singing the bush medicine and edible seeds into existence, and sourcing and maintaining them.

Cropped image of upholstered sofa featuring First Nations design with colours of brown, plum, mauve, yellow, pink

Singing Bush Medicine in ‘Dusk’, on Velvet.

Large assortment of patterned fabric swatches arranged on a table, featuring various First Nations designs and colours including brown, plum, green, blue, beige, orange, white.

Gather in ‘Forage’, on our Indoor Weave fabric.

Four First Nations adults standing in Australian bush, surrounded by low green grasses, trees, red soil and blue sky

[L-R] Colleen Ngwarraye Morton, Rosie Ngwarraye Ross, Margaret Ngwarraye Long and Beverly Pula Luck near Ampilatwatja. Photo: Lara Damiani.

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Rosie Ngwarraye Ross