2021 Nganampa Tjukurpa Kunpu: Our Strong Stories

Nganampa Tjukurpa Kunpu: Our Strong Stories

Aboriginal & Pacific Art is delighted

Nganampa Tjukurp Our Strong Stories

in association with Tjala Arts, Amata, APY Land

Group exhibition featuring new works b Beverly Burton, Freda Brady, Sylvia Ken, Muna Kulyuru and Nyunmiti Burton

14 October - 6 November 2021

Front page: Tjungkara Ken, Seven Sisters, 588-21, Acrylic on linen,

d to present

pa Kunpu:

ds, SA

y Tjungkara Ken, , Barbara Moore,

198 x 122 cm,

Tjala Arts is located in Amata community, in far nort Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands. Established in 1997, Tjala is celebrated and maintained by Anangu across thr colourful palettes and vibrant mark making, and th supporting established, mid careers and emerging a

Tjala Arts is an Aboriginal owned and managed corpo is the Pitjantjatjara word for Honey Ant - a favourite t Story for Amata where we are located, in the Anang Northwest of South Australia.

“Nganampa Waltja Tjukurpa – Our family Tjukurpa. W story is about family. It is about family protecting eac there are lots of family relationships. We are all Kangu Seven Sisters story – we must teach and protect our yo together as a family we are learning and teaching ea centre is strong because we are teaching our young w

-Freda Brady, Maringka Tunkin and Tjungkara Ken talki

th-west South Australia on the Anangu Pitjantjatjara a Arts is a professional art making studio where culture ree generations. Tjala artists are known for their rich he art centres boasts an exciting exhibition program artists.

oration that sells artwork on behalf of its members. Tjala traditional bush food. Tjala is the Tjukurpa or Creation gu Pitjantjatjara/Yankunyjatjara Lands (APY), in the far

We have strong women in our family. The Seven Sisters ch other and teaching each other. In Anangu culture uru Pulka (big sisters) to the young women. Like in the oung sisters. This is like our painting too. When we work ach other and our young sisters and daughters. Our art women this important Tjukurpa.”

ing about the Seven Sisters story

Tjungkara Ken Seven Sisters, 588-21 Acrylic on linen 198 x 122 cm

Tjungkara Ken Seven Sisters, 651-21 Acrylic on linen 150 x 150 cm

Beverly Burton Ngayuku ngura – My Country, 573 Acrylic on linen 122 x 101.5 cm

3-21

Beverly Burton Ngayuku ngura – My Country Acrylic on linen 152.5 x 101.5 cm

y, 587-21

Freda Brady Seven Sisters, 488-21 Acrylic on linen 152.5 x 122 cm

Freda Brady Seven Sisters, 578-21 Acrylic on linen 152.5 x 101.5 cm

Sylvia Kanytjupai Ken Seven Sisters, 501-21 Acrylic on linen 198 x 122 cm

Sylvia Kanytjupai Ken Seven Sisters, 502-21 Acrylic on linen 198 x 122 cm

Sylvia Kanytjupai Ken Seven Sisters, 694-21 Acrylic on linen 198 x 153 cm

Barbara Mbitjana Moore Ngayuku ngura – My Country, 655-21 Acrylic on linen 152.5 x 122 cm

Barbara Mbitjana Moore Ngayuku ngura – My Country, 656-2 Acrylic on linen 152.5 x 122 cm

21

Muna Kulyuru Ngayuku ngura – My Country, 596-21 Acrylic on linen 152.5 x 122 cm

Muna Kulyuru Ngayuku ngura – My Country, 597-21 Acrylic on linen 152.5 x 122 cm

Nyunmiti Burton Seven Sisters Story, 456-21 Acrylic on linen 152 x 120 cm

Nyunmiti Burton Seven Sisters Story, 234-20 Acrylic on linen 196 x 196 cm

Artists Biographies: Tjungkara Ken Birth Date

10/01/1969 Birth Place Amata Community Language Pitjantjatjara Community Rocket Bore : NT Region Anangu Pitjantjatjara Lands, South Australia Mother’s Country Walitjara, west of Amata Father’s Country Amata Born in 1969, Tjungkara Ken is the youngest of nine children to artists Mick Wikilyiri and Paniny Mick from Amata community in South Australia. Tjungkara has been painting for over twenty years at Tjala Arts and is an important figure in contemporary indigenous art from the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) region. Tjungkara is known for her sophisticated use of colour and striking works depicting the Seven Sisters story. Her work has been acquired by major institutions and private collections across Australia and internationally. She has been a finalist at the Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards and the Archibald and Wynne Prize at the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

Beverly Burton Birth Date Language

c1970 Pitjantjatjara

Beverly Burton is one of Tjala Arts strongest emerging painters who is dedicated to her practice and works in the studio daily.She comes from an influential family lineage of cultural leaders and artists. Her mother, Naomi Kantjuriny is known for her work with the Mitakiki Womens Collaborative and as a traditional Ngangkari Healer. Her father, Kunmanara (Hector) Burton was a senior artist at Tjala Arts and as an elder revered as an extremely important caretaker of Anangu law and culture.

Beverlys paintings are powerful and dynamic, her use of brush and choice of palette creates vibrations and movement across the canvas the way the landscape shifts and changes across her country.

Freda Brady Birth Date 27/06/1961 Language Pitjantjatjara Community Amata : SA Mother’s Country Rocket Bore Freda Brady was born and raised in Amata. She is the daughter of Paniny Mick and Mick Wikilyiri, both senior and highly regarded painters at Tjala Arts. Freda began her atistc career in 2002 creating batik. More recently, Freda has committed to her painting practice with great vigour and is an artist with impressive skill.

Freda also paints on collaborative canvases with her sisters Yaritji Young, Tjungkara Ken, Maringka Tunkin and Sandra Ken.

Barbara Mbitjana Moore Birth Date 26/07/1964 Language Anmatyerre & English Birth Place Tea Tree Community

Amata : SA Mother’s Country Laramba Father’s Country Tea Tree Barbara grew up in Ti Tree in the Northern Territory, and moved to Amata to live with her husband. Barbara began to paint at Tjala Arts (formerly Minymaku Arts) in 2003, and is committed to her painting practice, working at Tjala Arts on a daily basis.

Barbara’s paintings are highly regarded in the indigenous arts sector, but are also gaining significant success in the in the non- indigenous art world as outstanding contemporary artworks in their own right. Her bold and confident command of large scale canvases, saw her receive the prestigious General Painting Award at the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award (Telstra Prize) in 2012. She has been a multiple finalist at the National Indigenous Art Awards at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory and the Wynne Prize at the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

In November 2019 Barbara has her first solo show and residency at the Kluge Ruhe Collection of Aboriginal Art at the University of Virginia. Barbara’s work is held in numerous prestigious collections in Australia and abroad.

Artists Biographies:

Muna Kulyuru Birth Date Language

11/03/1964 Pitjantjatjara

Muna was born in Tjiwuru near Ernabella in 1964. Muna started painting with Tjurma Homelands and then Minyamku Arts when it opened. Today Muna paints exclusively at Tjala Arts in Amata, and has developed her own vibrant, distinctive style.

Sylvia Kanytjupai Ken Birth Date Language Community Region

14/03/1965 Pitjantjatjara Rocket Bore : NT Anangu Pitjantjatjara Lands, South Australia

Sylvia Ken is from Amata community on the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands in South Australia. She was born in 1965 and has been painting at Tjala Arts since 1999. Sylvia paints the Seven Sisters story, an important dreaming story of the region. Her family are traditional owners for significant sites where the Seven Sisters story takes place. Sylvia paints this story, the landscape where it takes place in as well as the characters in the story.

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.

Nyunmiti Burton Birth Date 1/01/1960 Birth Place Alice Springs, NT Language Pitjantjatjara Community Amata : SA Region Anangu Pitjantjatjara Lands, South Australia Mother’s Country Aparatjara, west of Amata Father’s Country Aparatjara, west of Amata Nyunmiti Susan Burton was born in Alice Springs in 1960. She grew up in Pukatja (Ernabella) with her parents where she attended school. After completing her final school years at Yirara College in Alice Springs, Nyunmiti moved back to Ernabella and began her first job at the arts and crafts centre working with batik.

In 1980, Nyunmiti married and moved to Amata where she began a career as an Aboriginal Education Worker. Nyunmiti trained to become a teacher, completing her degree in 1997.

Nyunmiti is the Vice Chairperson of NPY Women’s council and has many years of experience in community governance. She has previously been a member of Amata Community Council, Director and Chairperson of Tjala Arts and Director of the APY Art Centre Collective and holds a respected position in Amata Community.

In between working for Women’s Council and teaching Pitjantjatjarra in Adelaide at the University of South Australia, Nyunmiti is also a practicing artist.Nyunmiti paints her country and is remembering stories passed down to her from her father, mother and grandfather when she paints. She is thinking about how a long time ago they used to look after the country, there was plenty of food and families were happy travelling around from place to place.

“I heard these stories from my father, mother and grandfathers. I think about the future of the country for the next generation.”

Nyunmiti Burton.

Nganampa Tjukurpa Kunpu: Our Strong Stories

14 October - 6 November 2021

Aboriginal & Pacific Art, Sydney in association with Tjala Arts, Amata, APY Lands, SA

All images and text copyright the Artists and Tjala Arts, Amata, APY Lands, SA Courtesy of the Artists and Tjala Arts, Amata, APY Lands, SA

Aboriginal & Pacific Art, 1/24 Wellington Street, Waterloo, NSW, 2017 Australia Ph: +61 2 9699 2211 E: info@aboriginalpacificart.com.au W: www.aboriginalpacificart.com.au