Martin Mbitjana Hagan

Growing up with the legacy of his grandfather, Papunya Tula artist Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri, Martin Hagan carries on Anmatyerr traditions through artistic innovations and connection to Country into his body of work.

Martin Hagan is from Laramba in Central Australia and is passionate about cultural preservation and his work is deeply embedded in Anmatyerr cultural traditions. In his practice he makes use of wamulu: yellow desert flowers which are dried and mixed with ochre. Traditionally used in ceremonies and for ground paintings and mosaics, Hagan’s work incorporates wamulu on boards, creating earthy, highly tactile contemporary art pieces. Many of his designs are from his Possum Dreaming, reflecting his personal connection to Country and Anmatyerr law.

Hagan is part of a significant artistic legacy. The Papunya Tula artists, alongside Geoffrey Bardon, were innovators in creating works with acrylics on canvas based on traditional ceremonial body and sand paintings. These founding artists are a guide for Hagan, as he too mixes the traditional with the modern.

The preservation of Anmatyerr storytelling and ceremonial art is incredibly important to Hagan. As a Research Assistant at Deakin University, he coordinates the Ingkantety project, which documents and revitalises Anmatyerr cultural knowledge, including shield-making, song and dance traditions. Ingkantety means to follow in the footsteps of Anmatyerr ancestors to keep their Law going. This project brought together more than 70 men to reconnect with cultural practices that have not been widely performed since the 1990s. It resulted in the creation of ceremonial shields, recordings of sacred songs and the documentation of traditional designs, all safeguarded for future generations at the Strehlow Research Centre in Mparntwe/Alice Springs.

His art engages with this rich cultural heritage, ensuring that Anmatyerr traditions are not only preserved but continue to evolve and grow in the future. He is working on a book with Dr Jason Gibson and the Laramba community with the working title Songmen of the 21st Century: Making A Cultural Future for Anmatyerr People. In 2024 Hagan’s ground painting was included at the Foundation Opale’s (Switzerland) exhibition Nothing Too Beautiful for the Gods, and included in their permanent collection.