Aileen Napaljarri Long
Barkly Regional Arts“We grew up on bush food, kanga berry, bush potato, I paint bush tuckers because I like to go out and collect them, sit out with the crowbar and dig the potato. And eat them, it’s a nice taste.”
Born to a Warlpiri father and Warlmanpa mother, Aileen Long grew up in Willowra Community and moved to Tennant Creek in her youth.
Aileen uses bright textural colours and energetic mark making to show abstract depictions of bush tucker, in particular, wanakiji (bush tomato), recalling fond memories of hunting for bush tuckers with family. Bush tomatoes grow in abundance in the Barkly region and are particularly common after big rain.
Aileen’s work is notable for her intuitive approach and natural fluency with colour, resulting in expressive networks of geometric line and dotting which combine to exaggerate the shape of the canvas itself.
