"Grandmother's Country - River of Gold" By Nyrulla Possum Burns

Artist: Nyrulla Possum Burns

Size (H x W): 140 x 120 cm

This painting tells the story of Grandmother’s Country, passed down through the Luritja line of the Possum family. For the daughters of Gabriella and Michelle Possum, this story connects them to the Country of their grandmother on the Luritja side, continuing a powerful legacy of culture and storytelling through art.

The work features important women’s sites, bush food sources, ceremonial symbols, and spiritual places, represented through ancestral iconography. U-shapes show women sitting in ceremony, circles depict waterholes or gathering places, and fine dot work maps out food sources like berries and bush plums. These elements carry the stories of the land and the lives lived upon it.

This dreaming honours the matriarchal lineage and cultural responsibilities. Each piece is a continuation of the ancestral story, expressed with pride, memory, and connection to Country.

About the Artist – Nyrulla Possum Burns

Nyrulla Possum Burns is a proud Indigenous artist and the daughter of Gabriella Possum Nungurrayi, one of Australia’s most celebrated First Nations artists. Her family has a strong artistic legacy - Nyrulla is also the granddaughter of the iconic Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri and Emily Nakamarra Possum, a respected Luritja woman.

From a young age, Nyrulla painted alongside her mother, learning both the cultural knowledge and storytelling that guide her work. Her paintings are known for their precision and cultural depth, and her Seven Sisters Dreaming pieces are highly sought after across the world.

The Seven Sisters Dreaming is a powerful story passed down through her grandmothers and mothers, and Nyrulla continues to paint it with respect and care.

Today, Nyrulla lives and works in Melbourne, close to her family, continuing a tradition of art that speaks to Country, culture, and kinship.