Johnny Murison
Western Yalanji • Artist
Johnny Murison CIAF Art Fair Showcase 2026.
About
Johnny Murison is a proud Western Yalanji man and the owner and operator of Jarramali Rock Art Tours in Cape York Peninsula.
His practice is grounded in a deep connection to Quinkan Country and its rock art sites. Through extensive exploration of remote sandstone escarpments, he has encountered hundreds of ancient rock art locations—places where his ancestors lived, hunted, gathered, and shared cultural knowledge.
As not everyone can access these remote sites due to distance, age, or fitness, Murison’s work seeks to bring Quinkan Country to broader audiences. This exhibition marks the beginning of that intention.
His paintings are not reproductions, but intimate responses to Country. Through this process, he reflects on the relationships embedded within the rock art, with meaning revealing itself over time. His practice is also shaped by intergenerational knowledge-sharing, with his children’s questions guiding the continuation of cultural storytelling and cultural transmission.