Desmond Taylor
Art centre
Born
b. 1964, Oakover River, Martu Ngurra, Western Australia
Lives and works
Newman, WA
Manyjilyjarra and Warnman Languages, Martu Peoples
Desmond Taylor is Manyjilyjarra and Warnman man, who was born in 1964 near the Oakover River, moving to Jigalong soon after. Desmond’s family were among the last Martu to live entirely in the desert without access to rations or western supplies. Desmond went to school in Nullagine and Perth and now works as a professional translator and educator, as well as maintaining an arts practice. Desmond primarily paints his family’s ngurra (Country) around Karlamilyi (Rudall River) and the creation narratives for that Country, especially the Ngayartakujarra Jukurrpa (Dreaming) stories, and the associated narratives of the Jila Kujarra, narratives as enduring as the continent we live upon, kept safe by Warnman people for us all to share.