Jakayu Biljabu

Jakayu Biljabu was a celebrated Manyjilyjarra artist whose bold, vibrant paintings of sandhills, claypans, and salt lakes celebrated her desert homeland while actively teaching cultural knowledge to younger generations. Born in Manyjilyjarra country, Biljabu lived traditionally with her family, her father cautiously avoiding newcomers during construction of the Rabbit-Proof Fence (early 1900s) and Canning Stock Route (1906). In 1963, during extreme drought, Biljabu—then married with three children—moved to Jigalong Mission, later working as a baker at missions and stations before settling at Punmu community in 1982. Beginning painting in 2006 through Martumili Artists in Newman, Biljabu brought extraordinary energy to her practice, producing works of great vibrancy and assured handling. Her masterwork Minyi Puru (2008) features loose iconography and remarkable color arrays mapping her birthplace and childhood country, including Yilkarr salt lake (her father's resting place) and Wantili claypan waterholes. Biljabu participated significantly in Ngurra Kuju Walyja—The Canning Stock Route Project, contributing to the acclaimed Yiwarra Kuju exhibition (National Museum of Australia, 2010, touring). Her legacy encompasses both artistic achievement and vital cultural maintenance through visual storytelling.

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Jakayu Biljabu

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