YALA YALA GIBBS TJUNGURRAYI - TINGARI AT KARRKURRUNTJINTJANA
YALA YALA GIBBS TJUNGURRAYI
TINGARI AT KARRKURRUNTJINTJANA, 1984
122 x 122cm
Synthetic Polymer Paint on Belgian Linen
REGION
Papunya Western Desert, NT
PROVENANCE
Papunya Tula Artists, NT Cat. No YY840814
Private Collection, NSW
accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from Papunya Tula Artists
STORY
Yala Yala Gibbs Tjungurrayi was born west of Lake Macdonald and walked into Papunya in 1962 with his wife Ningura Napurrula and their injured son Mawitji. As one of the inventors of the ‘Tingari’ painting style, Yala Yala became one of the six artists who received a government allowance to paint full time in the very first years of the painting movement. During this time, his distinctive line drawings helped point Bardon towards some comprehension of the hieroglyphic-like language that underscored the Dreaming stories.
This painting depicts designs associated with the secret-sacred Tingari ceremonies at the site of Karrkurruntjintjana (Lake MacDonald) to the south of the Kintore community. As these ceremonies are associated with the higher education of post-initiatory youths, and are therefore of a secret nature, the artist did not reveal any further detail.
ARTIST PROFILE