Betty Chimney Ngayuku ngura (My Country)

Betty Chimney has fond memories of Indulkana, South Australia. Since learning to paint from other artists at Iwantja Arts, she has consistently documented her home, specifically the area of Iwantja creek.

‘Ngayulu walkatjunanyi kapi piti, kapi tjukula munu iwara tjuta,’ says Chimney, detailing that the creek includes a waterhole, a soakage, and tracks nearby. Evident from Chimney’s use of colour and the marks she makes, this is a changing landscape, with the artist reflecting how Country moves from rocky ridges to sandy creek beds.

Chimney was previously a finalist in the Wynne Prize in 2021, and in 2022 she was a finalist with a collaborative work painted with her daughter Raylene Walatinna. Through the process of working together, Chimney continues the age-old tradition of older women passing on their important knowledge of tjukurpa and ngura (Country) to future leaders. In her words, Chimney explains, ‘… it’s my responsibility to make sure that the younger generation are holding on to these traditions.’