Kunmanara Patju Presley, Makanya, 2023, Acrylic on Linen, 200 x 137cm
Kunmanara Patju Presley (1945–2025) was a senior Pitjantjatjara lawman whose work offers a rare, rhythmic window into the Spinifex Country. His signature fields of vibrant dots transcend simple aesthetics, acting as “mesmerising assurance” of ancient Tjukurpa (creation stories).
Presley’s paintings celebrate the sacred Spinifex homelands from which he was once exiled. As a youth, Presley and his family were displaced by British nuclear testing in South Australia. Throughout the 1950s, with Australian government approval, the UK detonated seven atomic bombs and conducted hundreds of smaller weapons-related tests at Maralinga, a prohibited military zone within the Great Victoria Desert.
Held in prestigious collections like the National Gallery of Victoria and the Australian Embassy in DC, a Presley piece is a significant cultural investment. Buying his art preserves the legacy of a master storyteller who bridged traditional desert survival with elegant, contemporary abstraction.
Kunmanara’s work is currently experiencing a major international moment in New York at the National Arts Club in a posthumous first ever international show, while his auction market shows steady growth since his passing in 2025 as discerning collector try to add his work to their collections.
When: 4 Mar - 24 Apr 2026,
