Yindjibarndi artist Allery Sandy has painted the Pilbara as a place of memory, culture and survival in her finalist work for the Telstra General Painting Award at the 2026 Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards (NATSIAA).
Now in its 43rd year, Telstra NATSIAA brings together First Nations artists from across the country, with 64 works selected from 221 entries for this year's exhibition at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory.
Ms Sandy lives at Mingullatharndo Community, also known as 5 Mile, in Western Australia.
Her finalist work, 'Ngarndu Ngurra (My Country)', is made with synthetic polymer paint and Pilbara earth on canvas.
The work draws on childhood memories of the Pilbara and the knowledge held in Country, from riverbeds and fishing places to bush foods, wildflowers and medicines.
Ms Sandy said being named a finalist was a privilege.
"It's an honour and a privilege to be chosen in this award," Ms Sandy said.
"I feel honoured as a traditional custodian to share the beauty of Ngarndu Ngurra (My Country) and to show it with all the wider communities and people who will come to Darwin to enjoy all the art on show at the NATSIAA exhibition.
"I am excited and I am looking forward to it."
Her practice often shows Country from an aerial perspective, using Pilbara colours, fine linework and materials drawn from the land.
'Ngarndu Ngurra' reflects a place that has continued to sustain Yindjibarndi people across generations.
Ms Sandy said the Pilbara had always offered much to her people.
"My childhood is filled with memories of a beautiful place called the Pilbara," she said.
"Our ancestors walked this Country with strength and wisdom, reading the riverbeds, knowing where to gather food, when to fish, and where to rest beneath cool shade.
"When the rains come, the Country transforms."
The work also carries the impacts of change across the Pilbara, including mining and drought.
Those changes had not broken cultural practice or connection to Country.
Families still go bush, fish, swim and camp together, while children are taught about tribal group boundaries, stories in the hills and rivers, and the people who belonged before them.
Ms Sandy said Country continued to provide, teach and sustain her people.
"Even in drought, Country remains Country," Ms Sandy said.
"It is everything to me.
"These memories of Country are our identity, our strength, and our future."
Her art is shaped by growing up on Country, learning from her people and spending time along creeks and waterways.
Painting the Pilbara was also a way to honour her ancestors and help family and community stay connected to Yindjibarndi culture.
Ms Sandy said she hoped audiences would see how deeply the land touched her life.
"I hope people that see this work in Darwin who haven't been to the Pilbara can see how magnificent, unique and special this land is," Ms Sandy said.
"Those that have been to the Pilbara can be reminded of its beauty."
The 2026 Telstra NATSIAA exhibition opened at MAGNT on June 27.
The winners will be announced at the awards ceremony on August 7, with artists sharing in a total prize pool of $190,000, including the $100,000 Telstra Art Award.
