PICTURE PERFECT: PAINTED COUNTRY
25 June - 25 July 2026
Artist Statement
“As you take time to view these art works, you’ll feel the spirit of the Country speak to you through the many colours and the eroded landscape that reflects pictures of home; and then in the moment of silence remains
And as for me, I’ll remember that picture of home of this great painted desert Country where I live…” – George Cooley, 2026
George Cooley is a senior man and community leader from Coober Pedy. He holds leadership positions across the Umoona and Coober Pedy communities and is a Director of APY Art Centre Collective. As a talented artist and opal miner, George paints the landscape surrounding his Country, particularly the Breakaways, an important site 25km north of Coober Pedy, known for its spectacular hills, mesas and plains.
George was selected as finalist in the 2023, 2024, and 2025 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards, 2024 Wynne Prize, included in the 2024 'Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art: Inner Sanctum', and in the recent exhibition 'Ngura Puḻka – Epic Country' at the National Gallery of Australia, 2026.