Artist

Nellie Ngampa Coulthard's paintings of Yankunytjatjara Country near Oodnadatta, South Australia convey a deep sentimentality for the landscapes and flora of her childhood, in particular the yellow Acacia Murrayana Wattle which has become a signature motif of her practice today.

Born near Oodnadatta where her father worked as a shepherd at the remote Wintinna Homestead Station, Coulthard spent her childhood herding sheep alongside her father across the the central and eastern deserts. Coulthard later moved with her family to the newly formed community of Indulkana in the far north of South Australia where she became one of the first schoolteachers, running lessons for Anangu children from a large wiltja (hand-built shelter) on the banks of the Iwantja Creek, before commencing her artistic practice in the early 1990’s.

Coulthard's practice has garnered national admiration and institutional recognition, having been a three-time finalist in the Wynne Prize, presented by the Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney in 2018, 2019 and 2022. 

Most recently, Coulthard was named as a finalist in three major 2023 national awards, the Ravenswood Australian Women’s Art Prize, the highest-value professional artist prize for women in Australia; the prestigious Hadley’s Art Prize, a significant $100,000 acquisitive Australian landscape prize presented by the Hadley’s Orient Hotel in Hobart, Tasmania; and, the Arthur Guy Memorial Painting Prize, at the Bendigo Art Gallery, Victoria. 

Following her debut solo exhibition at Alcaston Gallery in 2021, Coulthard has presented two further solo exhibitions at Alcaston Gallery and was represented by Alcaston Gallery at the 2023 Sydney Contemporary Art Fair, Sydney, New South Wales.  

Coulthard’s works are held in public and private collections including the Queensland Art Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA).

© The Artist, Iwantja Arts and Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne 2024

For an extended CV, please contact Alcaston Gallery at art@alcastongallery.com.au