Walmajarri artist collaborates with Australian Designer

Renowned Walmajarri artist and Juniper Guwardi Ngadu resident, Johhny Prince Siddon has collaborated with one of Australia’s most successful designers, Poppy Lissiman.

Worn by the Kardashians, Beyoncé, Bella Hadid, Margot Robbie, and celebrities all around the world, Poppy Lissiman bags became the canvas for Prince’s artwork in a special collaboration.

“This was a very special project for me. I was inspired by the animals in the Kimberley and by the way they outrun bushfires. Each print carries a different story or meaning about our land, my people, and our animals,” Prince said.

“The final product looks great, and I cannot believe that it is my art. I keep looking back at the bags and thinking that I want to do more. It makes me feel so happy that I can continue to tell my story.”

Since 2016, Prince has lived at Juniper Guwardi Ngadu, Fitzroy Crossing, and has his own special space where he spends his spare time creating detailed art significant to Western Australia and Walmajarri people.

“The staff at Guwardi Ngadu have always supported my art and love listening to my stories. It is my happy place.”

Prince’s art has been exhibited all over Australia and the United States. His one wish is to continue painting as it brings back memories and lets him share his story.

Belinda Storer, Guwardi Ngadu Residential Manager said her team supports Prince by creating areas within the home that allow him to continue with his artwork.

“Prince loves sharing the detail and progress of his art with all of us at Guwardi Ngadu. Everyone is always so intrigued with the connection his art has to his stories,” Belinda said

The collection is available on the Poppy Lissiman website, in the Art Gallery of Western Australia Design Store, and at the Mangkaja Arts Resource Agency – the Fitzroy Crossing arts centre where Prince works and where his father, Pompey Siddon, was a founding painter.