DAMIEN MARKS AND YILPI MARKS – ABORIGINAL ART

January 26, 2020

DAMIEN MARKS AND YILPI MARKS – ABORIGINAL ART

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Artist Profile · Western Desert

Damien & Yilpi Marks

Husband-and-wife painters creating layered, dotted maps of Country together.

Damien Marks

Born 10 July 1967, Haasts Bluff, NT

Yilpi Marks

Born 7 November 1969, Ernabella (Pukatja), SA

Lives

Alice Springs, NT

Style

Western Desert dot painting

Damien

Damien Marks was born at Haasts Bluff in the Northern Territory and moved to Papunya with his family as a boy. There he learned to paint the Dreaming stories from founding figures of the Western Desert art movement: Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri, Billy Stockman Tjapaltjarri and Uta Uta Tjangala.

Yilpi

Yilpi Marks was born at Ernabella in South Australia and was taught the Dreaming stories by her parents and grandparents. Her mother, Tjulkiwa Atira-Atira, and her late father were both respected artists whose work is held in major collections.

Painting together

After they married, Damien and Yilpi lived on Damien’s Country near Papunya, then in South Australia, before settling in Alice Springs. They paint as a team, sharing each canvas.

Their works, often titled My Country, are aerial maps built from layer upon layer of fine dots. They draw on ceremonial designs, including body paint, sacred objects and adornments. Their art is now increasingly sought after, and their designs also appear on licensed homewares and gifts.

My Country
Body paint designs
Ceremony
Dot painting
Collaboration

Selected exhibitions

2012 – Heirs and Successors, Japingka Gallery, Fremantle
2019 – Defining Tradition and The Colourists, Kate Owen Gallery, Sydney
2024 – ICONIC, Kate Owen Gallery, Sydney
2025 – At The Gallery, Japingka Gallery, Fremantle

Buying their work

For authenticated paintings, buy through a recognised Indigenous art gallery such as Japingka Aboriginal Art, and always ask for a certificate of authenticity.