Karen Lee Mungarrja is a First Nations artist, a proud Wiradjuri woman, currently residing on Darug Country (New South Wales).
2019
marks the start of our creative collaboration
4
exclusive artworks licensed and celebrated
26
unique products made for impact
Introduction
Karen is a Wiradjuri artist of the Tubba-Gah clan from Dubbo (New South Wales). Her traditional name, ‘Mungarrja,’ meaning Mountain, was given to her by her Uncle Michael Gararroongoo Huddleston, a Roper River elder. Karen is a mother and grandmother (gammi) living and working on Darug Country in Penrith, NSW, which has been her home for most of her life.
Throughout her life, Karen has held various jobs, from sales and cleaning to working in a laundromat and teaching singing when her children were young. She began her art career later in life, starting her art degree at 35, which took her six years to complete while working. She had no idea what her journey would become and is still amazed at how it has evolved into something beyond her wildest dreams.
While studying, Karen was exposed to a variety of art forms, which sparked her interest in the concept of ‘Memory.’
A piece of me,
A piece of you.
Love, loss, joy, and everything in between…
Using traditional symbols and song lyrics, Karen creates compositions and stories to evoke emotional cues that explore the connection of place and memory. As Indigenous people moved around, they created songs to map significant sites, food sources, and places, passing them down through generations. Taking a contemporary approach to the tradition of Songlines in Aboriginal culture, Karen is interested in how music and lyrics have a strong connection to memory. The sound of music can transport us to a time past, and the words can evoke an even deeper emotional response.
Karen’s art hangs in private collections both in Australia and overseas and in many public spaces, including hospitals, schools, and government departments.
"Using traditional symbols and song lyrics, I create compositions and stories to evoke emotional cues that explore the connection of place and memory. As Indigenous people moved around, they created songs to map significant sites, food sources, and places, passing them down through generations."
Work with Karen
Custom art commissions are available. Collaborating with you to conceive a unique composition, size and colour palette, Karen is dedicated to creating an artwork that resonates with your business or cause.
For more information contact Life Apparel and we will get you in touch with Karen.
Story: Aboriginal people have been forced to suppress their cultural traditions since colonisation, leading to the loss of important customs such as dreaming stories, songlines, and language.
Madhu depicts a story about our Elders passing knowledge to our communities—men, women, and children—to rebuild and revive our culture, using the rainbow as a symbol of hope. If we stand together, we can make change for future generations to come!
Bush Berries | Green
Bush Berries | Green
Medium: Acrylic On Canvas Year: 2020
Story: Karen is a contemporary artist whose work is aesthetically influenced by her local environment - the Blue Mountains and Nepean River in New South Wales and their surroundings.
The bush berry/bush tucker symbol is used in traditional Aboriginal art to map the locations of food sources. Karen employs this symbol in its traditional sense, but in her contemporary interpretation, she repeats the symbol and presents it as a pattern, covering the canvas with the elements as though viewing them from above.
She utilises these elements to convey an underlying narrative of dispossession and the disconnection between culture and Aboriginal people in a time when stories and traditions have, to some extent, been lost.
Bush Berries | Blue
Bush Berries | Blue
Medium: Acrylic On Canvas Year: 2020
Story: Karen is a contemporary artist whose work is aesthetically influenced by her local environment - the Blue Mountains and Nepean River in New South Wales and their surroundings.
The bush berry/bush tucker symbol is used in traditional Aboriginal art to map the locations of food sources. Karen employs this symbol in its traditional sense, but in her contemporary interpretation, she repeats the symbol and presents it as a pattern, covering the canvas with the elements as though viewing them from above.
She utilises these elements to convey an underlying narrative of dispossession and the disconnection between culture and Aboriginal people in a time when stories and traditions have, to some extent, been lost.
Warratah
Warratah
Medium: Acrylic On Canvas Year: 2020
Story: Appreciating native Australian flowers and their structures, which symbolises strength and serves as inspiration when overcoming hurdles in life. The Aboriginal name for the Waratah, given by the Eora people, means 'red flowering tree.' Aboriginal peoples sip the dew from Waratah flowers, which is believed to bring courage to the sick, and sometimes infuse it in water to drink as a sweet treat. This flower features in many varying Dreamtime stories.
"Wattle trees in flower are tied to a string of memories for me, reminding me of my youth when they came into bloom and their aroma filled the air. I have fond memories of walking through the bush, touching the soft, fluffy Wattle flowers."
Life Apparel is an approved signatory of the Indigenous Art Code. This ensures ethical trading, integrity, transparency, and accountability in dealings with First Nations Artists. The code empowers artists, supporting them in achieving fair and transparent commercial opportunities for their art.
We are strong champions of ethical practices in the industry and see the voluntary Code of Conduct as a pivotal means to achieve this, reinforcing our commitment to fostering a culture of respect and fairness for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Artists.
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Acknowledgement Of Country
Life Apparel celebrates and acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land on which we live and work, the Kombumerri families of the Yugambeh Language Region. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging for their generosity and custodianship of Country throughout Australia.
We recognise and honour the ongoing connection and deep spiritual relationship that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have to this Country, and acknowledge the unique role they play in caring for and protecting it for future generations. As an Australian-led boutique label and proud allies, we demonstrate our respect for First Nations peoples through our commitments to environmentally sustainable and ethical business practices. We recognise their continuing connection to land and waters, and thank them for protecting our natural resources and ecosystems.
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