Nauiyu artist Kieren Karritpul to exibit artworks at international art festival Colomboscope

In one of the most remote corners of Australia, in a tiny community with one pub, a church, and a single shop, an art centre hangs some of the country's most sought-after artworks – featuring price tags into the tens of thousands.

Although he has collaborated with major retailer Country Road and won prestigious awards, Kieren Karritpul can still barely believe he is attracting such recognition.

Now the Ngen'giwumirri artist from Nauiyu — a remote Indigenous community 220 kilometres south of Darwin — is adding another chapter to his story of meteoric rise.

He is one of just two known artists from Australia who have been invited to exhibit their work at Colomboscope, a major art festival in Sri Lanka.

"When I was little I used to always dream about going overseas and telling my friends and family," he said from Nauiyu.

"My family said it will happen one day, and now it's finally happening.

Having painted since he was five, Karritpul's artworks tell the stories of the generations before him and the place he was raised.

In some cases they are painted using brushes made from his own hair, while in others they're created on clothes or ceramics.

Almost three metre-long glossy artworks depicting fish traps and dilly bags hang in stacks in the art centre, waiting for collectors to spend almost $30,000 for each.

"Mostly it's based around weaving, because I come from a long line of weavers like my mother, grandmother and great-grandmother," he said.

"I used to sit around with them when I was little, watching them."

Colomboscope brings together artists and industry heads from all over the world for a week in Sri Lanka's most populous city, Colombo.

The city's skyscrapers and 5.6 million people make it a far cry from Nauiyu — population around 300.

"At first I was feeling nervous, but now I feel comfortable going overseas again, because I've been overseas before," Karritpul said.

"When I told my friends and family that I was heading over … straightaway, we looked on the internet on the phone to see what Sri Lanka was like.

"[It's] going to be like an eye-opener to see what the buildings are like, and the people and the culture."

Among Australia's top collectible artists

Cathy Laudenbach, who heads up Merrepen Arts, where Karritpul does the majority of his work, said he was now considered one of Australia's top collectible artists, after two sellout shows in Melbourne in 2023.

"That's always been his destiny," she said.

"He's nearly 30-years-old and he's been making work since he was very young.

"The last couple of years he's had a lot of amazing opportunities, and he's risen to the occasion every time. So he now is in a position where a lot of collectors are looking at him and looking at his work.

"It's sort of word-of-mouth."

Karritpul will be exhibiting some of his collection at Colomboscope from January 19-28.