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John Prince Siddon was working as a young jackaroo when a horse-riding accident altered the course of his life.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne old fellow yell to us, saying: \u2018There, follow them cattle, wheel them north.\u2019 So off I gallop with my horse full speed, racing to wheel them cattle. Next moment, \u2018Bang!\u2019, I was laying on the ground, with them other stockman holding me, telling me, \u2018Stay still, don\u2019t move or look.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"John](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/db51809b9b95b6ee19607d7a2074950682afd6ac.jpeg\")
John Prince Siddon: \u201cI can\u2019t stop,\u201d he says of painting.Ben Symons<\/p>\n
After a horse fell on him, his colleagues rushed for help. \u201cOne of the men got up on his horse, start [galloping] to [the] nearby homestead, race to get help. They brought a mattress, and they put me on the ute, back of a Toyota. Brought me to Noonkanbah station and put me on a Flying Doctor [plane].\u201d<\/p>\n
Siddon woke up in a hospital bed to find his right leg had been amputated. \u201cDoctors said I couldn\u2019t walk. I proved them wrong,\u201d he recounts.<\/p>\n
Related Article Forty years later, the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA) has unveiled the Walmajarri artist\u2019s largest work to date: the 2026 Foyer Wall Commission. Titled Worra Munga! Ernie and Bert Dreamtime voice, the 15-metre-long technicolour epic is a surreal blend of desert storytelling and global pop culture.<\/p>\n Siddon\u2019s artistic journey began in 2009 at Mangkaja Arts<\/a> in Fitzroy Crossing, east of Broome. This arts centre has been a vital space for more than 100 creators \u2013 including Siddon\u2019s father, Pompey \u2013 and is known for pushing the boundaries of Indigenous art. Similar to the work of Yankunytjatjara artist Kaylene Whiskey<\/a>, Siddon\u2019s style incorporates pop icons and childhood memories.<\/p>\n \u201cJohn Prince has such a distinct visual language,\u201d says Rebecca Ray, the MCA\u2019s First Nations curator and commission co-curator.<\/p>\n \u201cHe draws on established aesthetics associated with the Kimberley region but incorporates figurative painting and symbolic imagery to explore social and political histories \u2013 from the consequences of human impact and environmental crises to cultural fragmentation.\u201d<\/p>\n The commission cascades down the double-height staircase, greeting visitors with a vibrant mix of Sesame Street characters and native wildlife. Sharks, barramundi and praying mantises co-mingle with Bert, Ernie, Big Bird and the Cookie Monster. These were the television puppet characters Siddon adored as a child. \u201cI mix them up, like a jigsaw,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n Watching global events unfold from his home in Broome, Siddon has dedicated the work to all young people experiencing conflict around the planet. It will be on show until 2028, taking over the space previously held by artists such as Diena Georgetti and Vincent Namatjira.<\/a><\/p>\n Siddon found his calling after his accident and hasn\u2019t stopped since, often painting late into the night. \u201cSomething comes into my head and I can\u2019t stop,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n Ray notes that it is common for some Indigenous artists to find success later in life, at times due to forced labour under colonial pastoral industries in their earlier years.<\/p>\n Related Article \u201cYou look at artists such as Emily Kame Kngwarreye<\/a>, who came to painting late and created some 3000 works in just a few years. Prince is following in those footsteps; he simply fell in love with the brush.\u201d<\/p>\n Siddon\u2019s jackaroo days are well behind him, and he occasionally uses a wheelchair for support as he ages. He was a party to the 2023 class action wage claim challenging Western Australia\u2019s historical decision to withhold up to 75 per cent of Aboriginal stockmen\u2019s wages. Though he has yet to receive a settlement \u2013 which is expected to be modest \u2013 his success in the art world has provided a different kind of legacy.<\/p>\n![\"Highlights](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/2ce4f392f2c70fb3471518ae08afcccd74b41f078cd6e1c684f2a96dec095e18.gif\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"John](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/c26b1d99de201a96db28649cb9ecb910f1bec8d9.jpeg\")
John Prince Siddon\u2019s new mural, Worra Munga! Ernie and Bert Dreamtime voice, in the MCA foyer. <\/p>\n![\"Preview](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/d05081d63d1ada404efc323a24d6f347850a42f3.jpeg\")
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