Family Camping - Mitjili Gibson Napanangka

Family Camping belongs to a series of works painted by Mitjili Gibson in 2008, following helicopter journeys undertaken to identify sacred sites across her traditional Country. At the time, these journeys were deeply emotional for the artist, reconnecting her with places of profound personal and cultural significance.

During these visits, Mitjili revisited sites where both of her parents were speared, prompting memories of loss, endurance, and survival. The experience also brought back recollections of travelling through Country with her sisters as a young girl, camping and hunting together in search of food, guided by the knowledge and practices passed down through her family.

In Family Camping, these layered memories are held within the landscape. The work speaks to the enduring connection between family and Country, where remembrance, cultural knowledge, and lived experience remain inseparable from place.