Lindsay Nelson was born in 1974 and grew up in Ali Curang. His home Country is Jarra Jarra. Nelson speaks both Warlpiri and Kaytetye. Initially he worked for the Council at Ali Curang in Community Development before settling in Tennant Creek where he began painting with the Tennant Creek Brio. Nelson’s father was an important ceremonial boss in the region and widely respected for his knowledge of Law and Country. Nelson's hereditary prescience is reflected in his sparse and elegant iconography, which draws to a great degree upon the ceremonial language of his forebears.
The Tennant Creek Men’s art programme started in 2016 as an art therapy and outreach programme set up by Anyinginyi Health Aboriginal Corp. The group, co-ordinated by former AFL player and fellow artist Rupert Betheras, brings together both so-called fringe dwellers and cultural leaders who often work in collaboration under the collective noun they have adopted for themselves, Brio, meaning liveliness, vigour, and spirit. This chosen eponym speaks in terms of doubling, both to the attitude the Brio approach their work with and its distinctly post-modern visual aspects. Their installations, ready-mades and paintings overstep artistic conventions, drawing on imagery and traditions from an accumulation of anachronistic sources: the Wirnkarra (Dreaming), the Old Testament, and global mythical iconography. The Brio's action paintings and performances further represent that the aspects found in their art are lived out. Their evolving body of work is testament to the Brio's continued dedication to developing an outlet for catharsis not only for their experiences of life's complexities in Tennant Creek, but more widely for the experiences of other peoples who are unhomed and disenfranchised.