Louise was born in 1984. She is a Walpari women who grew up in Yuendamu, west of Alice Springs with her grandma. She loved living there as a child and going on bush trips with her grandma: hearing stories about country and collecting bush tucker. Her father’s country is Mina Mina in WA.

When Robertson was about 8 years old, she moved to Alice Springs to live with her mother. She still lives in Alice Springs to this day, now with her husband and 5 children. Robertson said that she came into the art room one day to see what her mother-in-law, Dulcie Sharpe and all the other ladies were doing. She decided she wanted to be part of making and learning and so she started coming every day. At first, she was nervous, but then Dulcie taught her how to sew and now she loves it. She says she keeps trying new things and thinking about what to sew when she is at home. She wants to keep coming to the art room and getting better by making soft sculptures of people and animals. She wants people to feel happy when they look at her work, like she feels happy when she is making it. She wants people to see how beautiful the desert is and how beautiful the people that live here are.

LOUISE ROBERTSON

Born 1984

Language Walpari

Region Mparntwe (Alice Springs)

GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2024

  • 'Yarrenyty Arltere Artists', EDWINA CORLETTE, Brisbane

2022

  • 'Town Camp Stories', Short St Gallery, Broome

2021

  • Salon Des Refuses, Salon Art Projects, Darwin
  • 'Nurna Yaarna Iltjerrama. Nurna Kutatha Mpaarama! (‘We can’t rest. We always/continue to make!)', Jam Factory as part of Tarnanthi 2021, Adelaide
  • Desert Mob, Araluen Art Centre, Alice Springs
  • 'Waltja Tjutja: Family', Salon Arts Project, Darwin
  • 'Looking back, Looking Forward: 21 Years of the Yarrenyty Arltere Learning Centre', Araluen Arts Centre, Alice Springs

2020

  • 'Our Art Makes Us Happy (we hope it makes you happy too!)', Aboriginal and Pacific Art, Sydney
  • 'Art of Women', EDWINA CORLETTE, Brisbane

2019

  • Tarnanthi Festival of Contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Gallery of South Australia
  • 'Looking for Pmara (Home)', Merricks General Store Gallery
  • 'We Are Always Making Something From What We Have Salon', Arts Projects, Darwin

2018

  • Ancient Stories New Narratives: 21st Century Aboriginal Women’s Art from the Desert: New works from the Sims Dickson Collection
  • 'Tjina Mob', Tangentyere Artists Gallery, Alice Springs
  • Desert Mob, Araluen Arts Centre, Alice Springs
  • EDWINA CORLETTE, Sydney Contemporary Art Fair
  • 'We use our Kapurta (heads) for looking after things', Hugo Michell Gallery, Adelaide
  • Sydney Biennale Exhibition, Aboriginal and Pacific Art, Sydney
  • Yarrenyty Arltere Artists Group Exhibition, EDWINA CORLETTE, Brisbane
  • 'Women Telling Stories Arelhe Altyerre Ileme', Short St Gallery, Broome

2017

  • National Gallery of Victoria Design Triennial: In collaboration with Estudio Campana Elbow workshop and National Gallery of Victoria
  • Tarnanthi Festival of Contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art, Art Gallery of South Australia
  • Desert Mob, Araluen Arts Centre, Alice Springs
  • Arrweketye Mape Awethe Akine – Tangentyere Artists Gallery (Women Back Together Again)
  • 'Carved, Sewn and Thrown. Objectives from Remote Australia', Yaama Ganu Gallery, Moree

2016

  • Desert Mob, Araluen Arts Centre, Alice Springs
  • 'Arrweketye Mob: Women Mob', Tangentyere Artists Gallery, Alice Springs

2015

  • 'Beautiful Good Days Making Art', Aboriginal and Pacific Art, Sydney

2014

  • Desert Mob, Araluen Arts Centre, Alice Springs
  • 'This belongs to us, but we did it for you', Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne
  • Group Show, Aritija Fine Art, Fremantle

AWARDS AND PRIZES

2021

  • Finalist, National Indigenous Fashion Awards, Special Recognition for Yarrenyty Arltere Artists