Painting by Lisa Khan

My name is Lisa Khan, I’m from Coober Pedy. Yankunytjatjara/Antakirinja/Pitjantjatjara is my language. I paint my Grandmother’s ngura (my home, the land and rockholes), she was born near Coober Pedy. I paint My Grandfather’s country, he was born at Wallitina Station. I paint the parente tjukurpa, it travels through mintabie, mimili, indulkana. I also like to paint my home Coober Pedy, minyma tjukurpa. Growing up we used to follow our parents out bush and look for Opal, we’d play in the sand but had to watch out for shafts. My grandmother showed us how to hunt lizards, we caught the ankata (bearded dragon), at school we used to go on day trips with the elders and look for bush tucker and different bush fruits. When I paint, I feel connected to my country and my grandparents who aren’t here anymore, It is my job to look after the country and the stories from my grandmothers.

The APY Art Centre Collective is a social enterprise made up of 11 Aboriginal owned and governed arts and culture organisations from the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands. As a collective, these organisations work to increase income for Aboriginal artists and support the important work of art centres in APY communities. This artwork was made at the APY Art Centre Collective operated APY Studio in Adelaide, which provides APY artists with a satellite art centre for artists off ‘Country’. The APY Studio affords APY artists with income stability alongside culturally appropriate support to access healthcare and the opportunity to maintain vital cultural and community connections when in Adelaide.