Juanella McKenzie

Juanella McKenzie, also known as Nelly, is an Adnyamathanha and Luritja woman of South Australia living and working on Barngarla land, Port Augusta.

Nelly has been creating multi-disciplinary art her whole life. Having spent much of her childhood on country, learning cultural practices from her elders, she uses art to preserve stories and techniques. Crediting her mother, Regina McKenzie, as being one of her mentors, Nelly’s art practice she now passes on to her children. For Nelly, art is essential to maintaining connection to country and family.

Nelly’s artwork has been acquired by the National Museum of Australia, the National Museum of Scotland and by art collectors worldwide. She has been in countless exhibitions since childhood and, in recent years, won Malka aboriginal Art Prize 2020, won the breaking Ground award 2021, Ramsay Art Prize Finalist 2021, Pt Augusta NAIDOC Artist of the year 2022 and a NATSIAA finalist 2022 at the Museum and Art Gallery of Northern Territory Darwin.