Pintupi Artists of the Western Desert
Gallery 2
8 Feb – 24 March 2019
Pintupi artists have profoundly influenced the development of the Western Desert art movement since it emerged at Papunya in 1971. The original group of men who started painting in the men’s shed organised by Geoffrey Bardon at the Papunya school were to start a cultural storm that had an impact on every community across the Desert during the following twenty years.
The combination of Tingari or Dreaming motifs used to describe the culture and Country of these senior men formed the basis of the abstracted dot designs that both described and disguised some of the great creation narratives from their heritage. With changes to the style and colours used by desert artists over the past 45 years, the Pintupi artists have essentially stayed with the geometric structures and Tingari references that formed in the early years of the art movement.
Contributing artists include George Hairbrush Tjungurrayi, Ronnie Tjampitjinpa, Warlimpirnnga Tjapaltjarri and his brothers Walala and Thomas Tjapaltjarri, Walangkura Napanangka, Lorna Ward Napanangka, George Ward Tjungurrayi, Maxie Tjampitjinpa, and Jake Tjapaltjarri, the son of George Hairbrush Tjungurrayi.
The Pintupi Nine made news headlines when they came out from the desert in 1984. They were presumed to have perished by the rest of their group, who had left the desert decades earlier to live in settlements at Papunya and later at Kintore. The brothers Warlimpirnnga, Walala and Thomas Tjapaltjarri were members of this family group. Although one of their kinsmen returned to live in the Desert, the three brothers have gone on to be highly recognised artists amongst the Pintupi artists and the Papunya Tula art movement. The exhibition of Pintupi Artists is on display at Japingka from 8 February to 24 March 2019.
See more of the artists represented in this exhibition
- Ronnie Tjampitjinpa
- Walala Tjapaltjarri
- George Ward Tjungurrayi
- Walangkura Napanangka
- Thomas Tjapaltjarri
- George Hairbrush Tjungurrayi
- Yinarupa Gibson Nangala
- Lorna Ward Napanangka