DOB: c.1948 - 
BORN: Meningie, SA
LANGUAGE GROUP: Ngarrindjeri/ Kokatha
COMMUNITY: Meningie, SA

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Born in 1948 in Meningie, South Australia, Bluey Roberts is of the Ngarrindjeri/ Kokatha peoples. His artistic career, spanning five decades, consists of public murals, carved and etched emu eggs, boomerangs, coolamons, walking canes and shields, and hundreds of paintings on canvas and on found and created objects. Through his art, Bluey tracks the rich diversity of animal and plant life from his homelands of Meningie and the surrounding Coorong, the upper Murray and the Murray River mouth.

In his works, Bluey Roberts tells the story of his life, his people and their cultural traditions with a graphic style that he applies to his works. Animals feature prominently in carved woodworks such as boomerangs and walking sticks, carved emu eggs and other items such as pottery. These reflect the artist’s life experiences of growing up in the country where he learnt about his heritage as well as more practical aspects including hunting. Bluey Roberts gained an understanding of biodiversity, by reading the tracks of animals and interpreting their habitats and interactions with the broader environment. He illustrates many scenes inspired by this learning. The river is a common backdrop in his art as it relates directly to the intimate connection he has with his mother’s Ngarrindjeri country, at the same time-sharing aspects of his River Spirit Dreaming.