Peter Thomas
b. 1975
- Region
- Kimberley
- Community
- Warmun (Turkey Creek)
- Language
- Gija (Kija, Gidja, Kitja)
Peter Thomas was born in 1975 in Wyndham and grew up on Gija Country. After his father Paddy died, he was raised by his mother Mary, a gifted bush medicine expert and healer, and by Warmun elders Madigan and Sandy Thomas. As a child he was taken out bush by the old people, learning language, Dreaming stories, songs and dance; at five he performed the Joonba at the opening of the Warmun school. Today he is a cultural leader, committed to passing on what was entrusted to him.
He began painting in March 2024. His work has a raw, naïve energy, with bold ochres, strong silhouettes and dotted borders, drawing on Joonba stories, Juwari (Devil Spirit) figures, ancestral narratives and the landscapes of his country, and honouring the stories his late mother shared with him.
In 2024, Peter was a finalist in the Lester Prize and received Highly Commended in the Napier Waller Art Prize. In 2025 he was selected as a Rising Star at Outstation Gallery, Darwin. This series explores Juwari (the Devil Spirit), the Old Lady and the Snake, honouring ancestral law, Joonba, and the connection between land, spirit and people.
Exhibitions
- Madigan & Peter Thomas20 August – 10 September 2026
