In 1984, when Warlimpirrnga was about 25, he finally came into contact with people from outside his family. Upon seeing a white man for the first time, Warlimpirrnga remembers, “I couldn’t believe it. I thought he was a devil, a bad spirit. He was the color of clouds at sunrise.” A few days later, he and his family were settled at Kiwirrkurra. News of this group living nomadically so far into the modern world made headlines internationally.
Warlimpirrnga started painting in 1987, working with Papunya Tula. Initially practicing under the tutelage of other artists at the company, he finished his first painting for them in April 1987. His first public exhibition was in Melbourne, the following year. It showed eleven of his paintings, all of which were bought for the National Gallery of Victoria. He has since become one of central Australia’s most well-known artists.
Warlimpirrnga paints abstract images of sacred stories and songs from his family’s Dreaming. The stories focus around the Tingari, the ancestors of the Pintupi, spirit beings who are believed to have created all living things. His stories are about his country and sacred sites such as Marruwa and Kanapilya.
His work is held in several major public collections across Australia, such as in the National Gallery in Canberra, the Art Gallery of New South Wales, and the National Gallery of Victoria. He also has work in galleries overseas, such as the Quai Branly Museum in Paris, and the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection at the University of Virginia. In 2012, his work was shown as part of the documenta exhibition in Kassel, Germany. As of 2008, the most one of his paintings has sold for is $85,000 AU.
Artist – Warlimpirrnga Tjapaltjarri
Medium – Arcylic on Linen
Story – ‘Tingari’
Size – 120cm x 200cm Enquire For Price
The Tingari Men were a group of ancestral elders who − in the Dreaming − traveled over vast areas of the Western Desert, performing rituals and creating or “opening up” the country. They were usually accompanied by recently initiated novices to whom they provided instruction in the ritual and law of the region. The adventures of the Tingari groups are enshrined in numerous song-myth cycles which provide explanations for contemporary customs in Western Desert aboriginal life.
Deep knowledge of Tingari business is restricted to men possessing appropriate levels of seniority in Western Desert society, but many stories have “public versions” which do not disclose secret/sacred knowledge. Tingari-related visual designs, such as this painting by Warlimpirrnga are considered “dear” rather than “dangerous” by traditional owners, which may explain why so many artists have concentrated on the Tingari in paintings produced for public display and sale.
