Born in Cairns, Far North Queensland, Karen Wallace (Mundejah) is a descendant of the Yirrganydji people, also known as Irukandji through her mother’s father. In 1995 Mundejah was first introduced to acrylic painting and since then she has expressed herself on canvas. Mundejah has found through her art she is able to express herself and explore her traditional heritage that she is very proud of. She has been greatly influenced by the
women who have passed down stories and taught her.
Mundejah finds great strength in the women of her family and she paints stories that relate to women’s business, like gathering foods and preparing and cooking them. Mundejah has a strong connection to her paintings and she takes great pride in selecting her colours and detailing each piece as she feels they are a part of her. Over the years her style has changed as she gains more knowledge about her traditional heritage. Mundejah’s canvases depict the important food sources that women could gather and prepare. Each piece is done with intense concentration and with great creative energy, piling layer upon layer.
Mundejah’s father’s family is from Mt Isa, which makes her a descendant of the Kalkadoon people, and across the Northern Territory border at Alexander Downs Station. You can see how she combines the earthy colours in her paintings representing out west where she spent time as a child. Mundejah’s grandmother on her mother’s side is from Wujul-Wujul, located south of Cooktown. Mundejah’s grandmother Betty had a very strong influence on her and shared many stories with her, which remains in her heart and her life. Mundejah finds great delight in her artwork and also shares her stories with her four sons – the three older sons also paint. Mundejah’s husband Woodinda is also an artist and together they provide each other and their family a lot of love and support as they share their heritage, which is precious to them. Mundejah’s unique style and use of warm, strong colour gives the canvas a relationship with her people, culture and creator.