28/08/2026
Rememory / Yaritji Young
Yaritji Young is a highly respected artist, cultural custodian and senior law woman from Amata community on the Aṉangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands in the far north-west of South Australia. As an accomplished artist and community member, her practice centres on the honey ant story, for which she is a custodian. A series of new paintings by Young are on display in the adjacent gallery space as part of the 25th Biennale of Sydney.
In this video, we join Young in Amata as she paints her storyline and participates in inma (ceremonial dance and culture). Within the broader APY Lands community, Young performs important work, championing Indigenous voices locally and internationally, as well as sharing stories from her Country.
Commissioned by the Biennale of Sydney Courtesy of the artist, APY Art Centre Collective and Weld Stories.
Yaritji Young is a senior law woman and respected artist from the Amata community on the Aṉangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands in the far north-west of South Australia. A traditional owner of the tjala tjukurpa (honey ant story) near Amata, Young makes paintings that scurry with honey ants in a mass of shifting movement and colour. The vibrant use of colour and bold mark-making in these works capture the attention of the observer as the tjala travel across the canvas – much as they would on Country.
Like the honey ant, each individual stroke works in tandem with their fellow constituents to form a cohesive living story. Young traces the honey ant’s journey, twisting through rock and cave, across her Country.
Commissioned by the Biennale of Sydney with generous support from the South Australian Government through CreateSA Courtesy of the artist and Tjala Arts.
Art Gallery of New South Wales
Images: 1. Yaritji Young. 25th Biennale of Sydney, Rememory, 2026, Art Gallery of NSW. Photograph: Daniel Boud. 2. Foreground, left to right: Ngurrara Artists, Ngurrara Canvas II, 1997. Presentation at the 25th Biennale of Sydney was made possible with generous support from the Oranges & Sardines Foundation. Courtesy of the artists and the Ngurrara Canvas Management Group (NCMG) © Ngurrara Artists. Yaritji Young, Tjala Tjukurpa III, 2025; Tjala Tjukurpa II, 2025; Tjala Tjukurpa IV, 2025; Tjala Tjukurpa I, 2025; Tjala Tjukurpa, 2026. Commissioned by the Biennale of Sydney with generous support from the South Australian Government through CreateSA. Courtesy of the artist and Tjala Arts © Yaritji Young. Installation view, 25th Biennale of Sydney, Rememory, 2026, Art Gallery of New South Wales. Photo © Art Gallery of New South Wales, Felicity Jenkins. 3. Yaritji Young, Tjala Tjukurpa I, 2025; Tjala Tjukurpa, 2026. Commissioned by the Biennale of Sydney with generous support from the South Australian Government through CreateSA. Courtesy of the artist and Tjala Arts © Yaritji Young. Installation view, 25th Biennale of Sydney, Rememory, 2026, Art Gallery of New South Wales. Photo © Art Gallery of New South Wales, Felicity Jenkins. 4. Foreground: Yaritji Young, Ngayuku tjukurpa - kungka yuu tjala tjukurpa (My Story - women's honey ant story), 2025. Commissioned by the Biennale of Sydney. Courtesy of the artist, APY Art Centre Collective and Weld Stories © Yaritji Young. Ngurrara Artists, Ngurrara Canvas II, 1997. Presentation at the 25th Biennale of Sydney was made possible with generous support from the Oranges & Sardines Foundation. Courtesy of the artists and the Ngurrara Canvas Management Group (NCMG) © Ngurrara Artists. Yartiji Young, Tjala Tjukurpa I, 2025; Tjala Tjukurpa, 2026. Commissioned by the Biennale of Sydney. Courtesy of the artist and Tjala Arts © Yaritji Young. Installation view, 25th Biennale of Sydney, Rememory, 2026, AGNSW. Photo © Art Gallery of New South Wales, Felicity Jenkins.
