Some of the best ideas are found over a coffee or a cuppa with the right person.
For Molly Hunt, it was her coffee by the campfire with Rhoda Roberts AO each morning at Garma that landed her latest gig at the biggest Aboriginal light festival in Australia and the only light festival of its kind in the world, Parrtjima.
Hunt, a Balangarra and Yolŋu woman who turned her lifelong love of comics, animation and storytelling into a job, has quickly become a contemporary artist with one of the most recognisable styles.
Her use of vibrant colours with characters placed in relatable situations alongside cheeky quotes have earned her a burgeoning online audience and developed into a career writing comics, painting murals, collaborating with some of the world’s biggest brands, creating animations, and making history.
Molly Hunt's animated comic strip, Three Generations of Stockwomen, is one of four major installations that will feature at this year's Parrtjima Festival. Source: Supplied
Her animation for this year’s Parrtjima Festival tells the story of three generations of Aboriginal stockwomen and Hunt says she’s excited to use her platform to open up doors in art for other young mob, especially those in regional areas like the Kimberly.
“This animation, but also my artistic journey is all about using my platform to raise Black women and I wanted to tell that story,” Hunt tells NITV.
“This story is very much raising the women who have done the hard yakka, who are the backbone of communities and have continued to pass on that intergenerational strength.
“Black women are the most hated people in the world so I try to use my platform, in any way I can, to tell those stories in my way.”
Hunt’s style and eye for capturing the humour and cheekiness of Blackfullas caught the attention of Parrtjima curator, Rhoda Roberts.
“We just started yarning and she was like ‘let’s stay in contact’ and we have stayed in contact,” says Hunt.
Roberts, a Widjabul Wiyebal woman from the Bundjalung territories, says she was familiar with Hunt’s work, specifically a comic called Spinifex Valley, then had the opportunity to witness her develop the piece at Garma.
Hunt describes Spinifex Valley as a comic about “staunch, Black cowboys living in the East Kimberly and fighting off white settlers but also fighting off aliens.”
Roberts says Spinifex Valley celebrates women, particularly stockwomen, and their strength, vibrancy and beauty.
“The design honours their hard work, resilience, and impact, highlighting their true value and significant contributions. It showcases the empowering presence of these women, acknowledging their vital role in the workforce,” says Roberts.
Spinifex Valley served as the inspiration for Hunt’s animation for Parrtjima Festival, which is titled Three Generations of Stockwomen.
For Hunt, the inclusion in Parrtjima was also a special moment to collaborate with celebrated actor and Nyikina man Mark Coles Smith who has composed the original soundtrack to accompany the animated comic strip.
“To be working on a piece like this, not only representing the Kimberly, but we both have our connections to men and women who were Aboriginal stockmen and stockwomen,” says Hunt.
“So it’s such a connected story to both of us. Kimberly people are just so creative and so talented, so when we get those opportunities to work together and make something beautiful, especially to such a large audience it’s just really exciting.”
This year, the festival celebrates its 10th anniversary with the theme 'Timelessness' and Roberts says she is proud to be part of an event that has “provided a thriving platform [and] celebrates this timelessness and the knowledge embedded in the artwork.”
Parrtjima Festival curator, Rhoda Roberts AO says Hunt's animation "brings together unique artistic elements and animation techniques to showcase a new expression of vibrant storytelling". Source: Supplied / Elise Derwin/Elise Derwin
“From the landscape to the industries built on the foundations laid by Indigenous peoples, the story continues to unfold.”
Roberts says Hunt’s work reveals the truth that Aboriginal women have always played an integral role in the stock industry.
“Today, many Aboriginal women are leading stations in the Northern Territory, bringing with them deep knowledge and a strong connection to the land and animals,” says Roberts. “Their leadership sustains the nation's food supply, with this expertise and love for the land being passed down through generations. Aboriginal women continue to shape and run this vital industry.”
Hunt says her introduction to and love for comics came from her Dad and now as an artist and comic creator she feels proud to share the success with him and hopes to collaborate on a project in the future.
“My Dad, a huge comic nerd, our plan is to make a comic down the track in Yolŋu Matha, so a Yolŋu superhero… it’s like fulfilling his dream as well,” says Hunt.
“Like back then, a Blackfulla being a comic author and illustrator, that just didn’t seem like a thing, so now it’s like I’m not only fulfilling my dream I’m fulfilling my Dad’s dream, my family’s dream.”
Parrtjima - A Festival in Light, returns to Mparntwe (Alice Springs) 4 - 13 April 2025.
