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, SA
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.
1525 x 1015 mm
#619-17
Seven Sisters
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.
Anumara tjukurpa Manta - Earth
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).
Tali - Sand dune
Kunmanara (Ray) is telling the story of the sandhill country.
Seven Sisters
Sylvia Ken, a prolific contemporary artist, paints the Seven Sisters story, an important dreaming story of Amata region. Sylvia’s work has been acquired by institutions and major collections in Australia and internationally. She has been a multiple finalist at the Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards and the finalist and overall winner at the Wynne Prize at the Art Gallery of New South Wales in 2019.
Sylvia Kanytjupai Ken Seven Sisters
Acrylic on linen
1220 x 1980 mm
#323-22
Seven Sisters
Sylvia has depicted the Seven Sisters Story. This is a Tjukurpa Story (Creation Story) about the constellations of Pleiades and Orion.
Sylvia Kanytjupai Ken Seven Sisters
1220 x 1980 mm
#398-23
Wanampi Tjukurpa
Wanampi Tjukurpa - Mythical Rainbow Snake
Creation Story. This story tells of two Snake brothers and their wives, who are sisters, that lived near Piltati, west of Amata.