MAREE KOO-OILA | ‘Aak Paamp (Freshwater Lagoon)’ | Acrylic on stretched canvas

An emerging artist at Wik & Kugu, Maree is the granddaughter of the late Akay Koo’oila who was one of the first female painters in Aurukun. Like her grandmother, Maree applies bold colour combinations to express her unique cultural identify. Her paintings draw on the lands surrounding Aurukun, including her own tribal country of Wal-ngal and Knox River. Maree belongs to the Winchanam Ceremonial Clan.

The Akay Koo’Oila is an arts studio for women and is part of the Wik and Kugu Arts Centre in Aurukun.

Women artists working at Akay Koo’oila Women’s Art Centre, Aurukun, are inspired by the legacy of Wik Elder Akay Koo’oila (1923−2014), a dynamic painter, who was the oldest living person in Aurukun.

MAREE KOO-OILA | ‘Aak Paamp (Freshwater Lagoon)’ | 2024 | Acrylic on stretched canvas | 58 (h) x 109 (w) cm