WARLPIRI WOMEN
15 Saturday June to Saturday 27 July 2019
Exhibiting from 15 June – 20 July 2019
This exhibition of female Warlpiri artists explores dreaming sites and stories found across the vast Warlpiri territories within the Tanami desert. Established and emerging, this group of artists confidently paints their country, bringing to life cultural understanding and knowledge of the land.
Myra Nungarrayi Herbert hales from the north eastern parts of Warlpiri lands, Yinipaka, or Lake Surprise, near the Lander River regions north of Willowra. Their lands continue along the Women’s Dreaming track to Kurlingalinpa North of Yinipaka about 80kms from Lajamanu’s south eastern side. This Women’s Dreaming songline or Jukurrpa traverses from Mina Mina to Kurlingalinpa in the north east and is a Dreaming story shared by Nungarrayi, Napanangka women and Jungarrayi, Japanangka men. It guides Warlpiri in life, how to live it and it is also a road that was only 100 years ago a well-travelled route by Warlpiri people. Exhibiting artist Kumunjayi Nungarrayi Hargraves walked this road often, but always denied walking the full length, from the southern part of the WA border to the Single Women’s camp (Jilami) site at Kurlingkalinpa.
In between are the lands of Biddy Nungarrayi Long, Ursula Napangardi Marks and Biddy Napanangka Timms. These ladies all now live together off their country, in Lajamanu due to forceful displacement in the past. They use painting as a way to come together and connect to country across generations. Their ages and life experiences are different from the senior passing away at about 95 years old, to Ursula Napangardi who is now 40 years old.
The art works here are by these Warlpiri women of Lajamanu who are culturally senior and endowed with the highest level of knowledge of their laws, to Ursula whose art has been greatly influenced by her elders. These women are law people, Warlpiri speakers first and foremost. This exhibition encapsulates the spirit of the artists, as they express these traditions on canvas. Warlpiri women reflects the openness of the women as they uniquely translate culture onto canvas, depicting timeless tradition into a contemporary format.
Biddy Yulngarri Jurrah/Long
Biddy Timms
Kitty Simon
Lily Hargraves
Nungarrayi was also known as Maggie Jurrah/Hargraves. Towards the end she preferred to be known as Lily Jurrah. Nungarrayi was one of the old desert walkers born in the Tanami Desert in her country near Jilla or Chilla Well. She was a senior law woman, highly respected in Lajamanu. For many years she taught children Warlpiri language and culture in the school bilingual education program. Nungarrayi had 4 children 2 of whom are still alive. Her sister had 7 children. Nungarrayi was mother to these as well. 3 of this group were still alive in 2018. Nungarrayi was co wife with her sister so they raised their children together.
Nungarrayi's art is held in a number of major collections, and she has been widely exhibited both in Australia and overseas, including France, Brazil and the USA. In 2009 and 2014 Nungarrayi was a finalist, highly commended in the Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards.
Myra Patrick Herbert
Myras father was born in Yinipaka so this is where her dreamings come from.
In 2018 Myra was selected to participate in Parrtjima, an indigenous light festival in Alice Springs. Her paintings were translated into visual light projectiions and a collaborative installation of sounds and sights of the budgerigar.