Our Story · A Family Practice Since 2019
About KT Aboriginal Fine Art
A three-generation Aboriginal family collective sharing stories of Country, family and cultural connection through contemporary art, from a kitchen table in Ceduna to collections on six continents.
An Opening Word
"Our story began at a kitchen table in Ceduna — a mother and a daughter, a shared dream of sharing culture with the world."
— Kelly Taylor, Founder
The Story Behind KTAFA
Family, Country and cultural continuity
KT Aboriginal Fine Art (KTAFA) is a family-led collective of Aboriginal women artists from South Australia. Founded in 2019 by artist Kelly Taylor together with her youngest daughter T'keyah Ware, the collective brings together three generations of family artists, including Kelilah Ware and Taliyah Ware.
KT Aboriginal Fine Art began with a simple but powerful vision between a mother and her young daughter. Kelly and T'keyah created a space where their stories, culture and creativity could be expressed through painting, taking an important step toward sharing their work with a wider audience.
What began as a small family idea soon grew into the foundation of their first gallery. Today, KTAFA stands as more than a gallery, it represents a continuing family story where creativity, culture and connection to Country remain at the centre of every artwork.
Their paintings often feature symbols representing gathering places, waterholes and journeys across the land. Through layered dot-work, flowing pathways and earthy colour palettes, the artworks reflect the rhythms of life on Country and the deep connections between family and community.
The Name
Why we are called KTAFA
The name reflects the heart of the beginning , a mother, a daughter, and the cultural purpose that runs through every work.
K
Kelly
Mother. Matriarch. Founder. The thread that runs from Nana Millie's teaching to today.
T
T'keyah
Youngest daughter first one to collaborate with Kelly and creating Aboriginal art collective.
AFA
Aboriginal Fine Art
The deeper purpose, honouring culture, Country and identity through artistic expression.
Chapter One · 1989 — Ceduna
A kitchen table on Country
KT Aboriginal Fine Art begins long before its name. Raised by her grandmother Millie Taylor (née Lennon-Terone) between Indulkana and Ceduna, Kelly first picks up a brush as a young woman at the age of 11 years old, learning songlines, waterholes and women's stories not in a studio, but at the kitchen table, with Nana Millie at her side.
Chapter Two · 2019 — The Founding
Kelly and T'keyah, side by side
Thirty years on, Kelly and her youngest daughter T'keyah make a decision together. They name thier first online gallery from their own initials K and T, and add Aboriginal Fine Art to honour the deeper purpose: aboroginal art culture, Country, and identity expressed through painting. A small family idea becomes a family collective.
Chapter Three · 2020 — Beyond the Studio
From a family idea to a national voice
The Royal Flying Doctor Service unveils the Flight Journey Line, co-painted by Kelly and T'keyah, and reproduces it on uniforms worn across the SA/NT bases. The family begins to receive commissions, exhibitions and brand collaborations across Australia, Japan, the United States and Europe.
Chapter Four · Today
Three generations, one continuous line
Kelly, T'keyah, Kelilah and Taliyah paint together in the family studio. Their work hangs in private homes, corporate collections and public spaces on ten continents but every painting still begins where it always has: in conversation between mother and daughters, with the stories of Country at the centre.
What We Stand For
Four principles that hold the practice
Country Comes First
Every painting begins with Country. The stories of Pitjantjatjara/Yankunytjatjara, and Kokatha lands carry the work, never the other way around.
Family-Led, Always
KTAFA is not a brand or a label, it is a family. Every original is hand-painted in the family studio by Kelly, T'keyah, Kelilah or Taliyah, alone or together.
Story With Permission
Each work draws only from stories the artist has the right to tell, passed down by Elders, lived on Country, painted with respect.
Made to Outlast Us
Acrylic on linen, archival pigment, traditional dot-work technique. Built so a KTAFA original can travel a hundred years past the hand that painted it.
The Family
From Nana Millie to Kelly to Her Daughters
Five women, three generations, one continuous line of story, each holding it in their own voice, each painting the same Country.
Born Indulkana — the connection
Millie Taylor
Grandmother · Teacher
Held the stories, taught Kelly the dot-work, kept the songlines moving.
35+ Years Practice
Kelly Taylor
Mother · Founder
Carried Nana Millie's teaching into a contemporary practice held in ten continents.
Contemporary Voice
T'keyah Ware
Daughter · Artist
Bridges traditional iconography with a new palette, RFDS, Vogue Living, Disney × Bluethumb.
Emerging Voice
Kelilah Taylor-Ware
Daughter · Artist
Vibrant story-paintings of campfires, bush food and family travelling on Country.
Developing Style
Taliyah Ware
Daughter · Artist
Painting alongside her mother and sisters, keeping the connection to culture alive through colour and story.
More Than A Gallery
"For this family, art is more than creative expression. It is a way of sharing culture, keeping stories alive, and passing knowledge between generations."
Every KTAFA work is hand-painted in the family studio. Every piece carries a story and the story always belongs to Country.
The Journey
A timeline of KTAFA milestones
From Kelly's first works in Ceduna to international collections, national brand commissions and the RFDS Flight Journey Line.
Kelly's first works
Kelly begins painting under the teaching of her grandmother Millie Taylor in Ceduna — laying the foundation of a 35-year practice.
KT Aboriginal Fine Art is founded
Kelly and her youngest daughter T'keyah formalise the family practice — naming it from their initials and opening the first KTAFA gallery space.
RFDS Flight Journey Line unveiled
Kelly and T'keyah co-paint the RFDS Flight Journey Line, reproduced on uniforms worn across the South Australian and Northern Territory bases.
Bluethumb Abstract Art Award
Kelilah Ware wins the 2020 Bluethumb Abstract Art Award — recognising the emerging voice in the family.
National brand commissions
Commissioned bodies of work for SA Water, Northline, the Australian Taxation Office and Inghams enter corporate collections.
International collectors
KTAFA originals hang in private collections across Japan, the United States, Germany, Italy, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
Disney × Bluethumb collaboration
Kelilah joins the Disney × Bluethumb collaboration — a new generation of the family reaching a global audience.
Three-generation studio
Kelly, T'keyah, Kelilah and Taliyah paint together as a four-artist, three-generation family collective — the longest continuous line in the studio's history.
Where The Work Lives
Ten continents. One family studio.
A list of regions currently holding KTAFA originals in private, corporate and public collections.
Australia
Private, corporate & public collections
Japan
Private collectors · Tokyo
United States
Private collectors · multiple states
Germany
Private collectors · Berlin
Italy
Private collectors
New Zealand
Private collectors
United Kingdom
Private collectors · London
Hong Kong
Corporate Gifts
Switzerland
Private collectors
Luxembourg
Private collectors
Trusted by Brands, Institutions & Collectors
Royal Flying Doctor Service
Disney × Bluethumb
Vogue Living
SA Water
Australian Taxation Office
Northline
Inghams
Frequently Asked
About KTAFA, our family and our work
- What does KTAFA stand for?
- KTAFA stands for KT Aboriginal Fine Art. The 'K' and 'T' are the first initials of founders Kelly Taylor and her youngest daughter T'keyah Ware. 'Aboriginal Fine Art' honours the deeper purpose of the work — celebrating culture, Country, and identity.
- Who are the KTAFA artists?
- KTAFA is a three-generation family of Aboriginal women artists from South Australia: Kelly Taylor (founder), her daughters T'keyah Ware, Kelilah Taylor-Ware and Taliyah Ware. They paint side by side from a family studio in South Australia.
- Our Heritage?
- Kelly and her daughters are Yankunytjatjara, Pitjantjatjara and Kokatha women with family ties to Indulkana, Ernabella, Port Augusta, Coober Pedy, Alice Springs and Ceduna. Their artworks draw on family stories, cultural knowledge and a deep connection to Country across South Australia and Central Australia.
- Are KTAFA works hand-painted originals?
- Yes. Every original sold under KTAFA is hand-painted in the family studio by Kelly, T'keyah, Kelilah or Taliyah — alone or collaboratively. Each work ships with a signed Certificate of Authenticity and a story card.
- Does KTAFA ship internationally?
- Yes. KTAFA originals have travelled to Japan, the United States, Germany, Italy, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. International collectors are personally guided through framing, freight and customs.
The Legacy
"To share culture, tell stories and create meaningful connections through art."
— The KTAFA Family