Mary Umagarri Taylor

Date of Birth: 1939
LANGUAGE GROUP: Kwini

Mary was born in Wyndham and grew up in Oombulgurri (Forrest River). She learned painting from the old people by watching their ground paintings and painted for the first time in 2009. Mary moved to Kalumburu in 2005 to be with two of her seven children.

Mary is one of the Traditional Owners for the Balingarra land claim, determined in August 2013. Bush Name – Umagarri (swamp site) – Oombulgurri Dreaming – Gari-Ali (goanna), Gin-Gun (Barramundi), Dorungi (cat fish), Malarru (prawn). Mary paints her mother’s country Jinangi (Camera Pool on the Forrest River – north-west of Wyndham) and also the country of her husband. “The Berkley River area is my husband’s country. We go here for camping out and fishing. Along the river there are large stones and rocks with trees growing out of them. When we have a “bogey” (shower) we lie down on the flat rocks (tesselated rocks) to dry off.”

Born in Wyndham in 1939, Taylor grew up in Oombulgurri, (formerly Forrest River Mission), with her parents and grandparents, King David and Ethel. Today Taylor is one of the Traditional Owners for the Balanggarra Native Title area, which extends from Kalumburu in the north Kimberley to her grandparents country along the western border of the Cambridge Gulf in the east.

In 2005 she moved to Kalumburu to be with two of her children.

Classed as ‘emerging’ by the art industry, recognition of her work has slowly been gaining momentum. Fortuitously at the very beginning of her career she was selected for the 27th NATSIAA at the Museum and Gallery of Northern Territory. Since 2010 she has been exhibited in gallery group shows, prominently featured at the Kira Kiro art centre stall at the Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair, selected for the 2012 TAFE Central Gallery Revealed Exhibition of Emerging Indigenous Artists from WA, a finalist in the Port Hedland Art Award, and has had an artwork purchased by the Artbank Australia collection.

Group Exhibitions:
2015 “Waringarri Arts” featuring Mary Punchi Clement, Judy Mengil and Mary Teresa Tailor, Paul Johnstone Gallery, Darwin NT
2014 “Informing”, Kittey Malarvie and Mary Tailor, Suzanne O’Connell Gallery, Brisbane, QLD
2014 Finalist, Port Hedland Art Award, Courthouse Gallery, Port Hedland, WA
2014 Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair, represented by Kira Kiro Art Centre, Darwin, WA
2014 “Bush Food and Medicines”, Tali Gallery, Sydney, NSW
2012 “Revealed” An Exhibition of Emerging Indigenous Artists from WA, Central TAFE Gallery, Perth WA
2012 “Songlines -A Coo-ee Christmas” Coo-ee Gallery, Bondi Beach, NSW
2010 “The Kalumburu Project” Seva Frangos Art ,Perth , WA
2010 “The Rebirth of Painting at Kalumburu” Mossensons Gallery Melbourne VIC
2010 “27th NATSIAA” Museum and Gallery of Northern Territory NT

Themes
Boomerangs, Stones, Rock Holes, Wandjina

Collections
ART BANK