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. Surrounding her as a child, this deep connection was fostered by group retellings from the teachings of mystic George Gurdjieff. The search for concepts around the Self continues to be a profound influence on Nara's journey and creative practice.​

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Recent accomplishments include being on the Top100Artists, 2025, most collectable list, winning the People’s Choice Award at the 2024 ‘Noosa Art Prize’, exhibiting at Hazelhurst Art Centre (Sydney) in ‘Logos’, and receiving recognition as a Highly Commended artist in the 2022 ‘Paul Guest Prize’. Nara's work was recognised early on when she was critiqued by Rex Butler in Art Monthly Australia (2013). Since 2014, she has exhibited internationally, and her work has been featured at esteemed galleries, including the Woman Made Gallery (USA) and in awards such as the Ruth Borchard Self-Portrait Prize (2015, UK). Nara’s art is a part of prominent collections, including the National Parliament Library of Tbilisi (Georgia), Uluslararasi Cocuk Universitesi (Türkiye), and the City Museum of Aveiro (Portugal), a testament to her global impact and recognition.

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In 2015, Nara expanded her painting practice by mixing the medium with performance when she debuted ‘Hair Pull ’ at the Venice Biennale, and on the same day, she performed ‘Energy String’ at the Venice Art House. In 2016, her paintings hung on the walls, for her solo ‘Beauty Amongst Chaos’, while she performed live at Mine Sanat Gallery (Türkiye)––earning her a feature on the front page of Milliyet. Nara’s performances, which blend Butoh, physical theatre, intuitive movement, and painting, confront societal norms and explore themes of identity.

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Nara holds a BFA with Honours from Griffith University (QCA, 2013). She founded the ‘No Woman Alone’ conference and is co-founder of the ‘RVK Feminist Film Festival (Iceland), both of which amplify women’s voices and foster transformative dialogue through art and activism. These academic and activist achievements underscore Nara's commitment to using art as a tool for social change.

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Nara has completed artist residencies across Europe, the UK, Iceland, Georgia, and Australia. She was a recent writer in residence at the Queensland Writers Centre, where she worked on her project, 'Conviction: An Intimate Memoir'.  The memoir chronicles her creative process and legal battle against the Icelandic State at the European Court of Human Rights under the Istanbul Convention.