Kungka Kutjarra/Kuningka 

Makinti Napanangka, an Indigenous Australian artist, painted Kungka Kutjarra using acrylic on canvas. Acrylic paint is interesting here - a distinctly modern material - given her roots in the traditional narratives of the Australian outback. The warm ochres and earthy tones evoke the desert landscape, with layered brushstrokes creating texture and depth. Napanangka's work is marked by the gestural quality, and the material itself invites a direct, physical engagement in the artistic process. This raw and immediate application of the paint lends the work a visceral energy that is key to its impact. Napanangka engaged with traditions of storytelling and iconography, and the labor involved in the production reflects both physical effort and deep cultural knowledge. The work’s creation serves as a means of cultural preservation and a way to communicate complex ideas about the landscape and its people. Ultimately, her work invites us to consider the power of materials, making, and cultural context in understanding art's full meaning.