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.

Left to Right: Lily Hargraves, Judy Walker, Biddy Long.

Kitty Simon at work.

Biddy Yulngarri Jurrah/Long

Nungarrayi is a traditional woman bringing years of bush living and travel by foot and later in life vehicle to her painting. Her early life was with other Warlpiri on Mt Doreen cattle station when her family wasn't travelling around their lands. She has worked for many years teaching Warlpiri language and culture to children in the school's bilingual education program. Her initial medium was ochre when painting onto the body for ceremonies, and she still practices this, as well as painting with acrylic onto canvas and linen. Nungarrayi delights in the variations of colours now available to her. Her sister Lily Nungarrayi Jurrah/Hargraves is also a committed artist and they often paint at this art centre together. Nungarrayi began painting in 1986 in Lajamanu after a TAFE course introduced the community to Acrylic and Canvas. Nungarrayi's art has been widely exhibited in Australia and is held in major national collections.

Biddy Timms

Napanangka is a Warlpiri woman. She speaks Warlpiri and Jaru. Her father, Tiger Timms Jupurrurla, was of a Warlpiri sub tribe Ngaliya. Her mother was a Warlpiri-Kukatja woman from the Balgo region in WA. Warlpiri are a Tanami Desert people. 2 sub tribes from the north now live in Lajamanu, Ngaliya and Warnayaka. Napanangka moved to Lajamanu from Gordon Downs after her father died there. Napanangka knows her ceremony's and law and dances. Her first medium was body art in ochre and oils. Napanangka has had four daughters with 3 still surviving. Her daughters now have many children. Her favourite past times are caring for her grandchildren, cleaning her house and of course painting and spending time in the art centre. Napanangka started painting in 2009. Her daughter Jenny is also a keen artist.

Kitty Simon

Napanangka works with a variety of traditional and contemporary art mediums including body paintings in ochre and acrylic on linen and canvas. She is a very traditional lady who understands her culture. Her family come from Lake Mackay area. She was born in Yuendumu and arrived in Lajamanu at 10 years of age. Napanangka enjoys painting as it is a social activity in Lajamanu. Hern experiences of travelling through the desert and life in Lajamanu coupled with knowledge of culture is now shown in defining colours found throughout the Tanami, in flowers, the sky and the salt bed of Lake Mackay. Kitty's artistic style is in keeping with Yawulyu - womens artistic tradition which includes dance, ceremony, art and song.

Lily Hargraves

Nungarrayi loved to paint and loved her culture. She was driven to record and preserve cultural knowledge and traditions, knowing she was fighting against the power of time and the new impeding culture. Nungarrayi loved colour and expression. In her later years her style changed slightly showing more freedom and use of colour, while years of experience with brushes show skilled execution and technique. Nungarrayi produced some truly stunning work with heavy bold confident brush work while manipulating a broad range of colour. This artist’s depth of character and life experience is reflected in her work.

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

Myra Patrick commenced painting in 1986 during the Traditional Painting Course initiated by the T.A.F.E. Unit in Lajamanu. Her approach to depicting Dreaming in her painting was diametrically different to other Lajamanu artists. She used a very fine doing technique, which gave a shimmering effect to her paintings. Myra Patrick also made some pottery and sometimes collaborated on the paintings of her husband, Freddy Partick Tjangala (now deceased). She depicts Dreamings such as the Jurlpa (Butcher Bird), Malu (kangaroo) Witi (Ceremonial Pole), Bush Vine, Snake and Cockatoo. In recent years she has decided to use her father’s family
name 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.

Ursula Napangardi Marks

Ursula Napangardi is a young artist following in the traditions of the Warlpiri people, who now live in small towns in the Tanami Desert. Napangardi’s art can be complex or very simple. Her art depicts Jukurrpa (Dreaming stories, containing information about the creation of the landscape, knowledge of resources and Warlpiri law) or an aspect of Jukurrpa. Her works can be full of colour, or consist of bold confident lines. Her subjects were handed down to her from her grandparents and she is now a custodian of
them. She is a lady who has been in the most important ceremonies for Warlpiri women, including her sons' and nephews' ceremonies. Her works have been exhibited in Darwin and in the “Milpirri” Festival in Lajamanu, and in 2017 at Coo-ee Art Gallery, and in America.