My name is Karen Rogers and I’m from Ngukurr Community. My tribe is Ngalakgan and I speak Kriol at home. I’ve lived in Ngukurr almost all my life. I am an artist and printer at Ngukurr Arts. My grandmother and her sisters were artists, and they inspired me to become an artist too.

“Main gagu imin atis, en im sista mob du. Alabat bin migi mi wandi bi atis. Sambala main atwek im bla dis kantri we ai bin grouap. Im bla mela laif la Roper en bla mela koltja. La mela koltja mela numu lau peintim melabat drimin, sou ai leigi peintim main mami en gagu drimin magurrmagurr, langgurna, ngurru en ngakngak. Wen mi dum peinting ai leigi spleinim dat stori la main biginini mob en grenkids.”

My grandmother and her sisters were artists, and they inspired me to become an artist too. My artwork often shows the country where I grew up. It’s inspired by our life in Ngukurr and our culture. In our culture we are not allowed to paint our own dreaming, so I like to paint my mother’s and grandmother’s dreamings. They are magurrmagurr (dragonfly), langgurna (magpie goose), ngurru (catfish) and ngakngak (white-breasted sea eagle). When I paint these things I like to tell their stories to my children and grandchildren.

My artwork often shows the country where I grew up. It’s inspired by our life in Ngukurr and our culture. In our culture we are not allowed to paint our own dreaming, so I like to paint my mother’s and grandmother’s dreamings. They are magurrmagurr (dragonfly), langgurna (magpie goose), ngurru (catfish) and ngakngak (white-breasted sea eagle). When I paint these things I like to tell their stories to my children and grandchildren.

I like to challenge myself with all kinds of different art styles, like glasswork and digital design. My favourite styles are painting, lino printing and screen printing. I have written a picture book in Kriol and English called Main Abija, which is a story about my memories of my grandfather.

I’ve studied Visual Arts at Batchelor Institute and I have a fellowship in digital design through Artback NT, through which I’m learning to make my artwork into digital prints.