A highly respected senior woman, Betty Muffler’s practice spans painting, drawing, printmaking and ‘tjanpi’ (native grass) weaving. Muffler is a ‘ngangkari’ (traditional healer).
Born in 1944 near Watarru, close to the border of South and Western Australia, Muffler survived the British atomic testing conducted at Maralinga and Emu Junction where many of her close family were displaced or died from the catastrophic aftereffects. Witnessing the devastating effect this event had on her family and their ancestral Country left a lifelong impact on Muffler that she addresses through her ngangkari practice and the recurring depiction of healing sites in her paintings titled ‘Ngangkari Ngura’ (Healing Country). Embracing a subtle monochromatic palette, Muffler creates sublime and sophisticated paintings evoking landscapes that reflect her role as a healer and her concern for the land. Her paintings often depict sacred sites and water sources, essential elements for the well-being of her community.
Widely celebrated and revered for her contemporary practice, Muffler was awarded the Emerging Artist Award at the 34th Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Awards (NATSIAA) presented by the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin in 2017 at the esteemed age of 73. She has since been recognised as a NATSIAA finalist in 2018, 2020 and 2022 and has been featured in Tarnanthi Festival of Contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art at the Art Gallery of South Australia in 2015, 2017, and 2020.