Artists from Amata, South Australia
Artists from Amata, South Australia
15 November - 6 December, 2025
Presented by Aboriginal & Pacific Art in association with Tjala Arts Amata Community
Tjala Arts is located at Amata Community, in the far northwest of South Australia. It is an Aboriginal owned and managed corporation that sells artwork on behalf of its members.
Since its foundation in 1999 (originally as Minymaku Arts) Tjala Arts has concentrated on adapting traditional aboriginal symbols and designs to create contemporary abstract imagery. The centre provides an opportunity for the Anangu (Pitjantjatjara Aboriginal people) to develop skills in fine art and regional craft production. The art centre also plays a significant role in the well-being of the community and maintaining culture and law.
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Tjungkara has depicted the Seven Sisters Story. This is a Tjukurpa Story (Creation Story) about the constellations of Pleiades and Orion. The sisters are the constellation of Pleiades and the other star Orion is said to be Nyiru or Nyirunya (described as a lusty or bad man). Nyiru is forever chasing the sisters known as the Kunkarunkara women as it is said he wants to marry the eldest sister. The seven sisters travel again and again from the sky to the earth to escape Nyiru’s unwanted attentions.
This painting tells the Creation Time story of the caterpillars ‘anumara’. The anumara is a large edible caterpillar with a hook on its tail. It is a story about kinship groups - represented by the North and the South. Hector is in one group - the South(anumara) and his uncles, nephews, and fathers in the other (North - the other caterpillars - muya muya and ngalyakanti, literally ‘hard forehead’). All the caterpillars travelled from places in the north and the south, and all met up in one resting place (ngura).
Ray is telling the story of the sandhill country.
