Walmajarri man John Prince Siddon is one of the country’s most uniquely creative artists. His paintings teem with life, bringing together stories of daily goings-on in Fitzroy Crossing, records of historical atrocities that have impacted on First Nations people and the characters from cultural stories passed down generationally between Walmajarri people.

As informed by pop culture as by painting traditions, Siddon’s images are direct engagements with the restless complexity of the given moment. Panic depicts and channels this energy perfectly. In it, an array of animals hustle across the canvas. They are seemingly in flight, crossing land, sea and night sky.