24-1532 – Matthew Mintern

This painting portrays one of the annual football carnivals in Martu Community. Each of the remote communities has a football team, and every year a different community is chosen as host to the carnival. The carnivals are important social events, and present a chance to catch up with friends and family members. Everyone travels long distances to support the players and celebrate together. 

Life in community is unique; the distance between communities and major centres means few outside visitors pass through, travel between communities and towns is via long 4WD journeys or on the mail plane, fresh fruits and vegetables are relatively scarce, and up until recently telephone communication was limited to a few fixed landlines and community phone booths. Whilst these communities are continually being modernised, Country remains central to community life, both physically and culturally.