MADELINE CURLEY

Madeline Curley is an Aboriginal artist and the daughter of renowned painter Imitjala Curley. Raised within a strong artistic lineage, Madeline is nonetheless a self-taught artist who has developed her own distinctive visual language.

Her work centres on the Seven Sisters Dreaming, an important ancestral story shared across many regions of Australia. Madeline paints the moment in the narrative when the sisters are travelling across Country, evading the pursuing figure Nyiru. This episode is one of movement, tension, and resilience, and it is through this lens that Madeline interprets the story.

Madeline’s style is characterised by fluid, sweeping compositions that convey both motion and continuity across the landscape. Concentric circles, or roundels, represent waterholes and rock-holes — vital sites where the sisters camped along their journey. These are interwoven with finely dotted, meandering lines that map the paths taken by the women as they moved across Country. Through this layered approach, Madeline creates a sense of rhythm and journey, guiding the viewer through both story and place.

Her paintings are not only visual representations but also cultural maps, embedding knowledge of landscape, survival, and ancestral movement. The interplay between form and story reflects a deep connection to Country and the enduring significance of the Dreaming.

Madeline Curley is a widely exhibited artist whose work has gained significant recognition. In 2019, one of her paintings was projected onto the sails of the Sydney Opera House as part of a major public art event, bringing her interpretation of the Seven Sisters story to a broad national and international audience.