Tjauruwa was born in the Great Victoria Desert at Warutjara, a place associated with Minyma Tjilkamata - the Echidna Woman, south of what is now the community of Jamieson (Mantamaru). Up until the winter of 1986, Tjauruwa lived traditionally, possessing only a few iron implements and tin bowls. Her family of seven was discovered in the northern Spinifex by a group revisiting important Men's sites after 25 years.
PROFILE
Angelina Tjaduwa Woods
1954-2019
Tjauruwa was born in the Great Victoria Desert at Warutjara, a place associated with Minyma Tjilkamata - the Echidna Woman, south of what is now the community of Jamieson (Mantamaru). Up until the winter of 1986, Tjauruwa lived traditionally, possessing only a few iron implements and tin bowls. Her family of seven was discovered in the northern Spinifex by a group revisiting important Men's sites after 25 years.
With her young son on her hip, Tjauruwa first camped at Yakatunya, 90 kilometres south of Tjuntjuntjara. She then followed a moving camp that accompanied a road construction stretching 300 kilometres through the Spinifex Lands, before permanently settling in Tjuntjuntjara in 1989. In 1986, Tjauruwa was estimated to be around 32 years old and was assigned the birth date of 1st July 1954. By 2019, her family remained the last Aboriginal group in the country to make first contact with contemporary Australia.
Adapting to her new environment, Tjauruwa faced profound changes. She formed relationships within an extended network of kin, transitioning from a life primarily focused on hunting and gathering to one supported by the community store, with abundant water supplies. Initially, her priority was caring for her mother and uncle in their new circumstances. It was only after her mother's death that Tjauruwa began to paint.
At first, she mimicked the techniques of other women, but gradually, the experiences of her previous life and her mother's stories and designs emerged in her paintings, giving rise to a unique Spinifex perspective marked by spectacular style and technique.
Tjauruwa became a leading Spinifex artist, with her works included in major awards and collections both in Australia and internationally.
ARTIST CV
Tjauruwa's extensive participation in group exhibitions highlights her significant presence in the international art scene, showcasing her distinctive Spinifex style across various prestigious venues globally.
Group Exhibitions
2022: MINYMA, Aboriginal and Pacific Arts, Sydney, NSW
2020:Smart Art, ARTKELCH, Freiburg, Germany
Art Paris 2020, ARTKELCH at Art Paris 2020, Paris, France
2019:Kungakarungkalpa, Short St. Gallery, Broome, Western Australia
Explosion, Aboriginal Signature Gallery, Brussels, Belgium
Women's Show, Vivien Anderson Gallery, Melbourne
2018:Spinifex People Spinifex Land - A Collection of Fine Spinifex Indigenous Art, ReDot Fine Art Gallery, Singapore
The Women's Show, Vivien Anderson Gallery, Melbourne, Victoria
Ngura Ninti - Knowing Country, Artkelch, Freiburg, Germany
Convoking the Genesis - Eurantica, Aboriginal Signature Estrangin Gallery, Brussels
Wüste - Meer - Schöpfermythen, ArtKelch Gallery at The Rautenstrauch-Joest Museum, Cologne, Germany
2017:Spinifex Arts 20th Anniversary, Japingka Gallery, Fremantle, WA
Gems from the Remote Deserts, Aboriginal Signature Estrangin Gallery at Parcours des Mondes, Paris
Spinifex, Short St. Gallery, Broome, Western Australia
2016:Pila Nguratja - In Spinifex Country, Vivien Anderson Gallery, Melbourne
Rawa Nyinanyi- Unbroken, Outstation Gallery, Darwin, NT
Exposition Spinifex Arts Project, Aboriginal Signature Estrangin Fine Art, Belgium
LORE The Visual Language of Cultural Identity, Raft Artspace, Tasmania
Tjungutja – Art of the Spinifex Collaborative, Redot Fine Art Gallery, Singapore
Purungu und Narrupa Sammlung, Kunstwerk, Germany, in association with P. & A. Klein and ArtKelch
Collections
Tjauruwa's works are part of several prominent collections, reflecting the widespread recognition and appreciation of her art:
Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, SA (Women's Collaborative)
Museum Fünf Kontinente, Munich, Germany
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, VIC (Women's Collaborative)
Parliament House Art Collection, Canberra, ACT (Women's Collaborative)
Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, USA (Women's Collaborative)
The British Museum, London, England (Women's Collaborative)
The Berndt Collection, University of Western Australia
The Corrigan Collection, Australia
The Lepley Collection, Perth, Western Australia
The Sims Dickson Collection, NSW
W. & V. McGeoch Collection, Melbourne, VIC
Awards
2015: Finalist (Women's Collaborative), 32nd Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award, MAGNT
2014: Finalist, 31st Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Art Award, MAGNT
2009: Finalist (Women’s Collaborative), Western Australian Indigenous Art Awards, Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth WA
Tjauruwa's contribution to the art world, marked by her participation in these numerous prestigious exhibitions and collections, showcases her status as a prominent artist within the Indigenous and global art communities.
MARKET ANALYSIS
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