Curtis Taylor: On the cusp

I started out making art in high school in Perth and Port Hedland with stories from events from the previous weekends going fishing hunting hanging out with friends: this was for art class. I grew up in Bidyadanga Karrajarri Warran: a lot of different language groups now call Bidyadanga home. My family’s group Yulaparija Mangala and Warnman speakers reside on saltwater Country, living in diaspora in Bidyadanga. I spent a lot of time going back and forth from ‘Bidya’ to Punmu and Parnngurr, home of my nyarmi (grandmother) and nyarmu (grandfather) on my paternal side, it’s their traditional Country. Today I stand on the shoulders of these giants. They gave me the licence to explore the stories within our boundaries of our home Country. From my beginnings I’ve been working with film recordings, first contact oral histories, contemporary community fiction and Jukurrpa (Dreaming) stories from my grandparents and the wider community of Martu people.