New Works from an Old Land: Selma Coulthard
-
-
In bearing witness to the past while affirming her committment to the continuity of culture, Selma Coulthard is a testament to resilience and the enduring power of Country. Her landscape and her history have become inseparable.
-
Nanda\Hobbs
June, 2026
Recognition of Selma Nunay Coulthard's work has culminated in a landmark 2026. Earlier this year, the National Gallery of Victoria acquired two significant paintings for its permanent collection, while her work Watarrka (Kings Canyon Area) was selected as a finalist in the Wynne Prize at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. A major solo presentation by Nanda\Hobbs at Melbourne Art Fair further introduced audiences to an artist whose vision of Country is both deeply personal and culturally profound.
These achievements reflect more than growing institutional recognition. They acknowledge a practice shaped by a lifetime of connection to Country and cultural knowledge. Born in Alice Springs in 1954, Coulthard spent her early years at Tempe Downs Station before attending school at Hermannsburg (Ntaria), where she first encountered artists painting watercolours. Her family originates from Urrampinyi (Tempe Downs), southwest of Alice Springs, a place that continues to inform the landscapes she paints today.
Coulthard's work is distinguished by its vivid colour, and intricate detail and linework, yet its power lies in the knowledge she has embedded within it. Guided by her Tjukurpa (Dreaming) and the stories passed through generations of her family, her paintings reveal Country as a living presence; layered with history and enduring cultural connection. Beneath their visual beauty are narratives of survival, alongside a responsibility to place.
When Coulthard speaks about the history of Central Australia, she does so with remarkable clarity and compassion. Her understanding of the profound changes brought by missionaries, pastoral expansion and government policies is reflected throughout her work. These histories are not presented as distant events, but as lived experiences that continue to shape Country today. In her paintings, stories of displacement and hardship sit alongside expressions of faith and continuity.
Despite significant upheavals throughout her life, Coulthard has maintained an unwavering commitment to the law-making, story-telling and ongoing family traditions. Painting has become her vehicle for both truth-telling and healing. Through these works, she affirms culture as a source of strength, while inviting us to engage with the histories and relationships embedded within the Australian landscape.
In bearing witness to the past while affirming her commitment to the continuity of culture, Selma Coulthard is a testament to resilience and the enduring power of Country. As national recognition of her practice continues to grow, her landscape and her history have become inseparable.
-
-
Works
-
-
Installs
-
-
Artist
