Aboriginal Fine Art

Tribe: Pintupi

Area: Central & Western Desert, Northern Terrirtory

Born: Circa 1960

Biography:

Walala Tjapaltjarri was born at Marua, located east of Kiwirrkura in the Gibson Desert, Western Australia. Walala was part of the famous “Lost Tribe” of 1984. At this time, Walala and eight other Pintupi relatives “walked out of the bush” and came in contact with western society for the first time. The event made international headlines, arousing many feelings of curiosity and amazement worldwide. Prior to this, Walala and his relatives lived a nomadic life, surviving off the land. Walala paints the ‘Tingari Cycle’, an important Dreaming for the Pintupi people. In the Dreamtime, the Tingari ancestors are said to have travelled through the land in the central and western desert areas, creating particular sites and teaching Aboriginal law. The ‘Tingari Cycle’ incorporates the sacred sites visited along the way, and also refers to the song cycles which describes and connect the artist to this journey.

Collections:

Art Gallery of N.S.W., Sydney
Flinders University, Adelaide