Betty Campbell Minymaku tjukurpa (Women’s story)

Betty Campbell has lived her entire life in Mimili, South Australia. She grew up on Everard Park station, where her father mustered cattle, and spent her days out bush with her sisters. They would often walk out to Paralpi/Victory Well, the location depicted in this work.

‘Ngayuku canvas minymaku inma kanyini,’ says Campbell, detailing that her work holds women’s story and inma (song and dance). A lot of this story is secret, only to be known by initiated women; however, there are some storylines that can be celebrated by all. Campbell paints the kulpi tjuṯa (many caves), tjukurla tjuṯa (many rock holes) and karu tjuṯa (many riverbeds) that spread across Paralpi. As a senior cultural leader of Mimili, she recognises the importance of taking young people to Paralpi to camp and dance inma, to learn and keep tjukurpa kunpu (strong).

Campbell has been making art since 2022 and this is her first time as a finalist in the Wynne Prize.