Robert Nanala

Robert Nanala is a well-established, remote artist from Kiwirrkurra, Western Australia.

Kiwirrkurra is a small community in Western Australia in the Gibson Desert, 1,200 km east of Port Hedland and 850 km west of Alice Springs. It had a population of 216 in 2011. It has been described as the most remote community in Australia.

It was established around a water bore in the early 1980s as a Pintupi outstation and became a permanent community in 1983. It was one of the last areas with nomadic Aboriginals until about that time.

Robert primarily paints the sacred men’s story “Tingari”. This story represents the ancient Dreamtime ancestral spirits who travelled across the landscape performing ceremonies to create and shape the country associated with Dreaming sites, like rock holes and mountains

In his depictions of his Dreaming, Robert utilises bold line work and primarily monochrome colours to create a strong yet contemporary artwork. In addition, Roberts works often incorporate a central line of colour to emphasise his country.