Clarise Tunkin
Clarise Tunkin, Pitjantjatjara artist descendent of Jimmy Baker, Kay Baker and Teresa Baker, paints Marlilu ancestral stories from APY Lands
Artist Clarise Tunkin
About Clarise Tunkin
Date of Birth
1993
Place of Birth
Alice Springs, NT
Language
Pitjantjatjara
Community
Kanpi, SA
Family
Clarise Tunkin is a Pitjantjatjara artist from a highly recognized family of artists. Her great-grandfather was Jimmy Baker (c.1915-2010) a foundation artist at Kanpi where his family were the traditional owners for the outstation and its lands. Clarise’s grandmother Kay Baker and mother Teresa Baker have continued the very strong artistic tradition of the family.
Career
Clarise began her own painting career in 2012 and was represented in the 2015 and 2016 Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards (NATSIAA). Clarise was taught by her mother Teresa Baker and paints stories of Country associated with Marlilu, a Pitjantjatjara ancestral creation figure. Clarise was taken to locations connected to the story by her mother when she was about fifteen.
Style
Clarise Tunkin paints in a style recognisably linked to the artistic tradition on the APY Lands in general and to her own family throughout the previous three generations. She has been exhibiting her work since 2015 in galleries across Australia.
Aboriginal Art Status
Rising Star
Collections
Monash University Collection, Melbourne
Awards
2016 33rd NATSIAA, Darwin – Finalist – collaborative piece with Teresa Baker
2015 32nd NATSIAA, Darwin – Finalist
Solo Exhibition
2018 Clarise Tunkin Exhibition – A Magnificent APY Lands Artist, Mandel Aboriginal Art Gallery
Clarise Tunkin in the Studio
Selected Group Exhibitions
2020 Anangu Artists – We carry story in our hearts, Japingka Gallery, Perth
2019 International Women’s Day, Kate Owen Gallery, Sydney
2019 Women’s Show, Yaama ganu, Moree, NSW
2019 Landscape Colours, Japingka Gallery, Perth
2018 Baker Family Exhibition, Kate Owen Gallery, Sydney
2017 PALYA: NYAPARI NOW, Short St Gallery, Broome WA
2016 Family Ties: The Next Generation, Outstation Gallery, Darwin
2016 Good Together, Short St Gallery, Broome, WA
Links
National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award (NATSIAA)