NARA WALKER

Born in 1990 on the unceded lands of the Yugambeh people in Springbrook, Australia, Nara Walker grew up in an environment where spirituality and nature intertwined. Immersed in a community that followed her father’s retellings of the esoteric teachings of mystic George Gurdjieff, Nara developed an early fascination with themes of the “self”, which continues to influence her artistic journey.

 

Recent accomplishments include winning the People’s Choice Award at the 2024 Noosa Art Prize and receiving a Highly Commended recognition in the 2022 Paul Guest Prize. Her work was first recognised early in her career, with a critique by Rex Butler in Art Monthly Australia (2013). Since 2014, Nara has exhibited internationally, her work has been featured at the esteemed galleries including Woman Made Gallery (USA) and in awards such as the Ruth Borchard Self-Portrait Prize (2015, UK). Her art is part of prominent collections, including the National Parliament Library of Tbilisi (Georgia), Uluslararasi Cocuk Universitesi (Türkiye), and the City Museum of Aveiro (Portugal).

 

In 2015, driven by a quest for bodily autonomy, Nara expanded into performance art, debuting Hair Pull at the Venice Biennale, followed by Energy String at the Venice Art House. In 2016, she combined painting and performance in her solo exhibition Beauty Amongst Chaos at Mine Sanat Gallery (Türkiye), earning her a feature on the front page of Milliyet. Her performances, which blend Butoh, physical theatre, intuitive movement, and painting, confront societal norms and explore themes of identity.

 

Nara holds a BFA with Honours from Griffith University (2013). She is the founder of the No Woman Alone conference and co-founder of the RVK Feminist Film Festival in Iceland, both of which amplify female voices and foster transformative dialogue through art and activism.

 

She has completed artist residencies across Europe, the UK, Iceland, and Georgia and is currently preparing for an artist residency at the Queensland Writers Centre to work on her memoir, Conviction, which chronicles her creative process and legal battle against Iceland at the European Court of Human Rights under the Istanbul Convention. Her work is currently on display at Hazelhurst Arts Centre in the exhibition Logos, curated by Kon Gouriotis (OAM).