Alison (Jojo) Puruntatameri
1984 -
REGION | Yapalika (Melville Island, NT)
LANGUAGE | Tiwi
ART CENTRE | Munupi Arts & Crafts, NT
DREAMING | Jarrikalani (Turtle)
Alison was born in Pirlangimpi on Melville Island. She grew up in Pirlangimpi and went to the local school. After she completed school she worked in child care. She has one daughter, Anette Orsto known locally as Sugar Plum who is a great favourite at the art centre studio where Alison paints with her mother Paulina (Jedda) Puruntatameri, her partner James Orsto and the other artists. It was Alison’s grandfather, Justin Puruntatameri (deceased) a senior law man who told Alison she should have a go at painting. He knew all the old songs and remembered visits by the Maccassans to the Tiwi Islands when he was a boy. Alison would listen to his stories of his paintings at the art centre and on country.
ALISON (JOJO) PURUNTATAMERI - WINGA (TIDAL MOVEMENT/WAVES)
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AU$35,000.00
ALISON (JOJO) PURUNTATAMERI - WINGA (TIDAL MOVEMENT/WAVES)
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AU$12,000.00
ALISON (JOJO) PURUNTATAMERI - WINGA (TIDAL MOVEMENT/WAVES)
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AU$7,000.00
ALISON (JOJO) PURUNTATAMERI - WINGA (TIDAL MOVEMENT/WAVES)
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AU$5,000.00
ALISON (JOJO) PURUNTATAMERI - WINGA (TIDAL MOVEMENT/WAVES)
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AU$3,500.00
ALISON (JOJO) PURUNTATAMERI - WINGA (TIDAL MOVEMENT/WAVES)
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AU$3,000.00
ALISON (JOJO) PURUNTATAMERI - WINGA (TIDAL MOVEMENT/WAVES)
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AU$2,500.00
ALISON (JOJO) PURUNTATAMERI - WINGA (TIDAL MOVEMENT/WAVES)
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AU$0.00
ALISON (JOJO) PURUNTATAMERI - WINGA (TIDAL MOVEMENT/WAVE)
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ALISON (JOJO) PURUNTATAMERI - WINGA (TIDAL MOVEMENT/WAVES)
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AU$22,000.00
ALISON (JOJO) PURUNTATAMERI - WINGA (TIDAL MOVEMENT/WAVES)
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AU$12,000.00
ALISON (JOJO) PURUNTATAMERI - WINGA (TIDAL MOVEMENT/WAVES)
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AU$6,000.00
ALISON (JOJO) PURUNTATAMERI - WINGA (TIDAL MOVEMENT/WAVES)
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AU$5,000.00
ALISON (JOJO) PURUNTATAMERI - WINGA (TIDAL MOVEMENT/WAVES)
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AU$3,500.00
ALISON (JOJO) PURUNTATAMERI - WINGA (TIDAL MOVEMENT/WAVES)
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AU$3,000.00
ALISON (JOJO) PURUNTATAMERI - WINGA (TIDAL MOVEMENT/WAVES)
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AU$2,200.00
ALISON (JOJO) PURUNTATAMERI - WINGA (TIDAL MOVEMENT/WAVES)
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AU$0.00
PROFILE
Alison (Jojo) Puruntatameri
1984 -
REGION | Yapalika (Melville Island, NT)
LANGUAGE | Tiwi
ART CENTRE | Munupi Arts & Crafts, NT
DREAMING | Jarrikalani (Turtle)
Alison Puruntatameri is a leading Tiwi artist based in Pirlangimpi on Yermalner (Melville Island) and a senior member of the Munupi Arts Centre. Since commencing her artistic practice in 2011, Puruntatameri has gained wide acclaim for her powerful contemporary expressions of traditional Tiwi cultural knowledge and symbolism. Her work is characterised by intricate, rhythmic patterns created with traditional Tiwi tools such as the pwoja, a comb-like instrument that produces distinctive geometric designs. These compositions reflect an enduring connection to Tiwi land, sea, and ceremony, grounded in ancestral stories and cultural practices passed down through generations.
Puruntatameri’s artistic journey was deeply influenced by her late grandfather, Justin Puruntatameri, a respected senior lawman, whose teachings and stories of Tiwi heritage and the visits of the Macassans to the islands have profoundly shaped her practice. His mentorship instilled in her a strong sense of cultural responsibility and connection to country, which continues to inform her work.
Her art often explores the natural environment, particularly the movements of water and waves, as seen in her celebrated Winga (Tidal Movement/Waves) series, which captures the dynamic interplay between natural forces and cultural identity. Her work embodies both a preservation and evolution of Tiwi artistic traditions, positioning her as a vital contributor to contemporary Indigenous art in Australia.
Puruntatameri’s excellence has been recognised through multiple prestigious awards, including being a finalist in the 2022 Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards (NATSIAA), the 2022 Alice Prize, the 2022 Wynne Prize at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, and the 2023 Ramsay Art Prize at the Art Gallery of South Australia. Through her innovative practice, she continues to engage audiences with the richness and resilience of Tiwi culture.
ARTIST CV
Selected Collections:
Veolia Collection, Pirmont, NSW
Yilli Rreung Corporation, Yarrawonga, NT
Westfarmer Collections, Perth WA
Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, SA
Goulburn Regional Art Gallery, NSW
Libby and Michael Kingdon Collection, Vic
Selected Group Exhibitons:
2025Melbourne Art Fair 2025- Alison Puruntatameri & Carol Puruntatameri Melbourne Art Fair, Melbourne Vic
2024Ngini Ngawula Pikaryingini (Our Stories), Hilton Double Tree; Darwin; NT
2024Yoi, SAATCHI Gallery; UK
2024Across the Water Exhibition Artitja Fine Art; Fremantle; WA
2024Yoi GJM London; UK
2023Ngarukuruwala Kapi Murrukupuni (we sing to the land), Cooee Art Leven; Redfern; NSW
2023Art of Tiwi Artists of Munupi- Tarnanthi Festival 2023 Exhibition Aiarts gallery; Belair ; SA
2023Pupuni Mantiminga _ Fine Lines. Everywhen Art Space; Flinders, Victoria
2023Kurrujupunyi - Ochre Colours. Hilton Double Tree , Darwin
2023Ramsey Art Award. Art Gallery of South Australia
2022Telstra NATSIA Art Award 2022 - Finalist Museum and Art Gallery of NT
2022NGININGUWULA KURRUJIPUNI Our Own Tiwi Ochre Colours Darwin Hilton Double Tree, august
2022LINE IN PARRALLEL Artitja Fine Art Gallery; South Fremantle; WA
2022Tiwi Creation. Cooee Art Leven, Redfern, NSW
2022Wynne Prize 2022 - finalist- Art Gallery New South Wales Sydney
2022Alice Spring Art Foundation Prize, Finalist - Araluen , Alice Spring
2021Tiwi Papers; Tarnanthi Festival 2021; Art Gallery of South Australia
2021Banapa, Nets of the tiwi Islands - on line exhibition- Red Dot fine art Gallery, Singapore
2021YIRRINKIRRIPWOJA JILAMARA Darwin Hilton Double Tree, august 2021
2020Tiwi Islands to Arnhemland Munupi Maningrinda Artitja Fine Art Gallery; South Fremantle; WA
2020Yalininga, Ngaripantingija, Ngirramini. Aboriginal Signature • Estrangin Gallery, Bruxelles, Belgique
2019Journey Through Culture. Red Dot Fine Art Gallery, Temporary Gallery, North St, Adelaide, SA
2019Pupini Jilamara Nginingwula (our Beautiful paintings). Hilton Double Tree Hilton, August 2019
2018Nginingawula Awirankiniwaki. Hilton Double Tree Hilton, August 2018
2018One island one side. • Yati Ratuwati Yatuwati • Art Aborigène des Iles TIWI. Aboriginal Signature, Brussels, Belgium
2016Point of difference; Desent to sea. Artitja fine Art at Engine Room.Perth.WA
2016Ngawila Jilamara Exhibition. Hilton Double Tree, Darwin Nt
2014Primavera 2014. Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Sydney NSW
2013Munupi Art is Tiwi Life. Marshall Art, Hyde Park, Adelaide, SA
2013Nginingawula Munupi Jilamara. Our paintings Marshall Arts, Hyde Park, SA
2012Tiwi Book Launch. Vivien Anderson Gallery, Caufield North, Melbourne, Vic
Bibliography:
2023John McDonald; Get your shopping lists ready: The art world’s version of Young Talent Time is here; Sydney Herald Tribune; 9 June 2023
Awards:
2023Finalist, Ramsay Art Award, Art Gallery of South Australia
2022Finalist, The Alice Art Prize, Araluen Arts Centre
2022Finalist, Wynne Prize, Art Gallery of New South Walse
2015Finalist, NATSIAA, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory
2015Finalist, Primavera Veolia Acquisitive Prize, Museum of Contemporary Art
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