Sally Scales Wati Tjakura

Sally Scales has depicted Aralya, the ancestral home of her family. Aralya is located between Watarru and Pipalyatjara, in the west of the Aṉangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands of South Australia.

Scales’ practice is informed by the tjukurpa connected to this site, which relates to Wati Tjakura, an edible skink lizard; however, Scales is less interested in verbally retelling this creation story, instead encouraging viewers to form their own meanings through spending time with her paintings. ‘Creating this work was about enjoying the process of painting and the different layers I can create,’ says the artist, who won the Roberts Family Prize in the 2022 Wynne competition.

Scales has been instructed by her Elders on the APY Lands, especially her grandmothers, Kuntjiriya Mick and Kunmanara (Wawiriya) Burton, and her mother, Josephine Mick. Her works build upon this familial legacy, celebrating their artistic styles and tjukurpa.