^{Cover Image: Two Girls from Amoonguna. Image by Soco Studios.}

Presented as part of the City of Joondalup’s NAIDOC Week program, Two Girls from Amoonguna is a moving exhibition by Arrernte and Southern Luritja artist Sally M Nangala Mulda and Western Arrarnta artist Marlene Rubuntja. 
 
Comprising six paintings and six soft textile installations, the exhibition creates a rich dialogue between painting and sculpture as the artists share stories of friendship, resilience and life in Mparntwe (Alice Springs). 
 
At the centre of the exhibition, Sally’s high-contrast, colourful and cartoon-like acrylic paintings of daily happenings in Mparntwe are brought to life by ACMI and Ludo Studio, the Emmy Award-winning creators of Bluey. 
 

Titled Arrkutja Tharra, Kungka Kutjara, Two Girls, the short film invites audiences to take a journey with the artists as they explore “walking through life”. 
 
The film recounts the intertwining lives of its two creators, who grew up together at the Amoonguna Settlement in the 1960s, parted ways and reconnected later in life through art. 
 
Ludo’s signature warmth and clarity give the film a joyful air that appeals to audiences young and old, expanding the reach of the artists’ stories without diluting their authenticity. 
 
The power of this film lies in its first-person narrative, which holds hard truths about separation, institutionalised care and government control alongside humour, dignity and joy. 
 
This interplay is an intentional, crafted aesthetic and a political choice. 
 
By narrating their lives in their own words, the artists assert control over how their stories are told and reclaim the authority to define their experiences. 
 

This is not a denial of history, as Sally M Nangala Mulda and Marlene Rubuntja acknowledge hardship with clarity and dignity. However, they refuse to let colonial violence be the organising principle of their stories. This perspective is thoughtfully captured through the playful dialogue between Sally and Marlene. 
 
Sally laughs, “I am not Wonder Woman”, before Marlene responds, “I am”. 
 
Their banter is affectionate and disarming, revealing the warmth of a friendship that has endured across decades and was ultimately rekindled through art. 
 
These moments of humour become as significant as the moments of reflection, reminding us that laughter and love are integral parts of Indigenous cultural expression. 
 
The declaration, “an artist has to use her imagination, and she has to tell the truth”, becomes the exhibition’s overarching theme. 
 
Their truth here is expansive. It embraces childhood memories, artistic practice, relationships and healing as much as it acknowledges adversity. 

The artists’ reflections of “I am feeling good now” and “I am feeling whole” speak to the transformative power of creativity and to art’s capacity to restore identity and wellbeing. 

Among the exhibition’s highlights is Funny Cloud, a vibrant soft textile installation depicting how rain-filled clouds appear when transformed into psychedelic rainbow hues during “magic hour” — dawn and dusk. 
 
Created from recycled bush-dyed woollen blankets embellished with wool and cotton, and produced through Yarrenyty Arltere Artists, the work celebrates moments of brightness and wonder among the ordinary day-to-day. 

This embodies another memorable quote from the short film: “When you’re an artist, you’ve got to think in bright colours and lift things up”. 
 
The thoughtful curation, including the gallery’s carefully selected colour palette and spatial design, enhances the vibrancy of the works without overwhelming their intimate stories. 
 

A particularly poignant moment recalls the artists seeing their work projected onto the Sydney Opera House as part of the Badu Gili: Wonder Women exhibition, recognising the growing national significance of their artwork. 
 
Two Girls from Amoonguna reminds us that Indigenous storytelling has never been solely about survival. It is about continuity, humour, imagination, friendship and the enduring relationships between people, Country and community. 
 
It also highlights the significance of Indigenous exhibitions such as this appearing in community art galleries and everyday spaces where people live. This helps shorten the cultural and geographical distance often experienced in urban settings. 
 
By allowing Indigenous perspectives, not colonial history, to shape the narrative, the exhibition offers an uplifting and deeply human celebration of contemporary Aboriginal art and culture. 
 
The exhibition appears alongside the City of Joondalup’s impressive collection of artwork by First Nations artists, dating back to the 1970s. 

Alongside the exhibition, the City is also running hands-on cultural workshops until 15 August. 

See more details on the website.