MELISSA SUNFLY

Melissa is a young articulate woman dedicated to keeping her culture strong. Her mother’s country is Sturt Creek and her father’s country is Lake Mackay. Melissa was raised in Yagga Yagga, by her grandmother, Bai Bai Napangarti, who introduced her to the country to the south: Mintirr, Ngantalara, Mangkayi and Tjirrirbarri to learn traditional dancing, to locate water sources and to hunt and collect bush food.  Between the ages of six and thirteen, Melissa lived in Balgo to attend school. She then decided to live at Billiluna, a neighbouring community, with a close friend of her grandmother’s, Elizabeth Nyumi.

Melissa is now based in Balgo with her son and produces paintings based on the stories taught to her by her grandparents. Melissa is intent on learning the complex traditional song cycles despite the difficulty of grasping the correct sounds. Her paintings reflect her diligent character and the significant Tjurrkupa (Dreamtime) stories she has inherited from her elders.