FRANK YOUNG

kuḻaṯa and the development of the Kuḻaṯa Tjuṯa Project, including many who have since passed away. Through their presence, the paintings become acts of remembrance as much as repositories of knowledge, honouring the people who have carried these practices across generations.

Young is a senior cultural leader whose life and practice are grounded in Country and the transmission of knowledge from one generation to the next. He was among the senior men who established the Kuḻaṯa Tjuṯa (Many Spears) Project at Tjala Arts in Amata in 2010, an ongoing cultural maintenance initiative through which Elders share the skills and knowledge of kuḻaṯa making with younger generations. In The Kuḻaṯa Wanampi Tjukuṟpa – Spear Watersnake Story, Young extends this legacy through painting and installation, bringing the physical presence of the spears into dialogue with their painted forms and with the Wanampi and kuḻaṯa Tjukuṟpa that have travelled across Country for generations. More than objects, the kuḻaṯa emerge as carriers of story, memory and living knowledge, connecting Country, ancestors and community while ensuring these practices continue into the future.