Kiripapuranjuwi (Skilful Hands)

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REDOT FINE ART GALLERY in collaboration with Munupi Arts & Crafts Association presents

Kiripapuranjuwi (Skilful Hands) A Collection of Munupi Indigenous Art

8 February – 4 March 2016

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For a high resolution, downloadable, PDF version of this catalogue, with pricing, please send us an email to info@redotgallery.com Thank you.

c o n t e m p o r a r y

i n d i g e n o u s

a r t


Sunset at the Beach at Pirlangimpi Source: Š Photo Courtesy of Munupi Arts



Kiripapuranjuwi (Skilful Hands) The ReDot Fine Art Gallery is extremely honoured to be hosting the first ever exhibition of works from acclaimed Tiwi Island community, Munupi Arts & Crafts in our inaugural show of 2017. It brings together 34 exceptional recent works, meticulously curated over the last 24 months, by some of the community’s most collectable and newly emerging talents. Kiripapuranjuwi (Skilful Hands) is the daring first step into the Asian contemporary art scene and will be a refreshing look at the usage of natural ochres combined with synthetic acrylic paints to represent motifs and designs sacred to the Tiwi Islanders, who have traditionally painted their bodies for ceremonies using natural earth pigments for centuries. This tradition of mark making is the foundation for this modern Tiwi art as ceremonies continue to play a pivotal role in Tiwi culture.


Each painting confidently transfers to the viewer a statement of Island life or ceremonial requirement using elegant traditional techniques which are married harmoniously with simplistic and fresh modern designs to give the recipient a meaningful understanding of one of the planets oldest living cultures. Subdued in their aesthetic appearance, due to the nature of the medium, each and every work is a bold rejoicing and triumphant statement about the strength of modern Indigenous culture, which for many years seemed destined to become extinct, is now stronger than ever before. Be mesmerised by the detailed and powerful dotted oeuvres of mother-daughter doyennes Cornelia and Delores, carrying this remarkable community forward into the next stage of its development, alongside other significant works by 13 female artists of varied ages and artistic prowess – each in their own way commanding respect and attention for their commitment in transferring cultural knowledge to the outside world. ‘For Tiwi people, to sing is to dance is to paint.’ Judith Ryan, Curator – National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), 1997 The exhibition begins on Wednesday 8 February and runs until Saturday 4 March 2017 and will be attended in person by Maria Josette Orsto and Paulina (Jedda) Puruntatameri, in what will be their first ever trip to Singapore. A must-see show for anyone interested in following the recent developments in Indigenous Art and an opportunity to meet these beautiful and talented proponents of one of the world’s oldest art forms as they share their ancestral heritage with us through their paintings and story-telling.

Giorgio Pilla Director ReDot Fine Art Gallery

Left Page: Munupi Artists in the Art Centre Source: © Photo Courtesy of Munupi Arts


Foreword from Munupi Arts & Crafts Association Munupi Arts & Crafts Association is located 100 km north of Darwin, along Melville Island north-western coastline at Pirlangimpi (also known as Garden Point) and is the most recently formed art centre on the Tiwi Islands. A wholly Indigenous owned and governed organisation, Munupi Arts developed in 1990 from the amalgamation of the Yikikini Women’s Centre and the small Pirlangimpi Pottery. The artists, mostly women, inspired by their natural lush environment and the Tiwi creation stories, are renowned for their striking and mesmerising approaches to colour and design. Drawing from the unique Tiwi stories of creation times and associated traditional practices, each Munupi artist expresses with vibrancy their own creative individual interpretation of their elaborate cultural heritage. Frequently referred as Jilamara (design), their artworks are characterised by refined geometric abstractions that resonate with universal contemporary artistic introspections. Kiripapuranjuwi (Skilful Hands) includes a selection of works from 14 Munupi artists, including seniors as well as emerging artists, who use natural ochres to create

Munupi Art Centre Source: Š Photo Courtesy of Munupi Arts


intricate and pulsating compositions inspired from the adornment of their traditional ceremonial objects and their body paint designs. It is a relatively small but impressive survey that embodies both the past and future of a visual art practice that intertwines the complex belief and mythological system of the Tiwi Islands with a highly creative contemporary aesthetic confidence. Encapsulating the old and the new as they continue to explore innovatively their ancient and dynamic Tiwi heritage, the Munupi artists transcend with mastery their unique and distinct artistic practices. Often using the Tiwi traditional painting comb (“Pwoja�) to apply fine sweeps of dots, these artists creates artworks of great subtlety characterised by an extraordinary creative vitality that continue to celebrate the fascinating Tiwi culture.

Guy Allain Art Centre Manager Munupi Arts & Crafts Association


Mangrove at Pirlangimpi Source: Š Photo Courtesy of Munupi Arts



Cornelia Tipuamantumirri Painting Source: Š Photo Courtesy of Munupi Arts


Cornelia TIPUAMANTUMIRRI Birth Date Place of Birth Language Skin/Clan

31 December 1929 Pirlangimipi, Melville Island Tiwi Warntarringa (Sun)

Cornelia Tipuamantumirri was born adjacent to the present day barge landing at Pirlangimipi, around 1930. When she was a young woman she would assist young weavers to acquire skill and knowledge in this art form. She would also teach the young ones traditional Tiwi dance. Cornelia Tipuamantumirri married Steven Tipuamantamirri as a young lady and has one child, a daughter, Dolores Tipuamantamirri. Cornelia also helped raise a young boy from Peppimenarti, Harry Wilson, who was part of the Stolen Generation sent to Pirlangimpi and later married the well-known Pepperminati artist Regina Wilson. Cornelia uses the kayimwagakimi for her work, dipping the comb shaped carved ironwood into her ochre palette; shades of pinks and yellows to portray the reflections of her long life lived on the Tiwi Islands. Reflections also, of the skies’ lights on the surface of the Arafura Sea.

Collections National Gallery of Australia (NGA), Canberra, ACT, Australia. W. & V. McGeoch Collection, Melbourne, VIC, Australia. Harriett & Richard England Collection, Sydney, NSW, Australia. Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT), Darwin, NT, Australia. Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia. Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW), Sydney, NSW, Australia. Andrew Penn Collection, Melbourne, VIC, Australia. Berndt Museum, University of Western Australia (UWA), Perth, WA, Australia. The Arthur Roe Collection, Melbourne, VIC, Australia Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA), Sydney, NSW, Australia.


Awards 2013 2012

Finalist – 30th Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award Museum and Art Gallery of Northern Territory (MAGNT), NT, Australia. Finalist – 29th Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award Museum and Art Gallery of Northern Territory (MAGNT), NT, Australia.

Selected Solo Exhibitions 2014 WARNARRINGA - JARRIKALANI; sun – turtle - Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne, VIC, Australia. 2013 New Paintings - Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne, VIC, Australia. 2011 Purunguparri (Stringy Bark Hut) - Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.

Selected Group Exhibitions 2017 Kiripapuranjuwi (Skilful Hands) - ReDot Fine Art Gallery, Singapore. 2016 Ngawila Jilamara Exhibition - DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Esplanade Darwin, Darwin, NT, Australia. Spiritual Materialism - Ilena Tounta Art Centre, Athens, Greece. Munupi - Galerie Luc Berthier, Paris, France. Summer Group Exhibition - Martin Browne Contemporary, Sydney, NSW, Australia. 2015 Being Tiwi - Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Sydney, NSW, Australia. Tarnanthi – Festival of Contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia. Kuripapauranjuwi Ngini Ngawila Jilamara Kapi Ngawa Tiwi: We are the artists/ creators for our paintings - DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Esplanade Darwin, Darwin, NT, Australia. Ngawa munupula/Ngawa Kiripapiranjuwi (New Paintings from Munupi Art on the Tiwi Islands) - Outstation Gallery, Darwin, NT, Australia. Cornelia Tipuamantumirri and Delores Tipuamantumirri – New Paintings from Munupi - Martin Browne Contemporary, Sydney, NSW, Australia. 2014 Our spirits lie in the water - Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW), Sydney, NSW, Australia. Ngawarraykiyama Najngawula; Stronger Together - Tiwi Art Network, Darwin, NT, Australia.


2014 WE ARE TIWI – Munupi Artists from Melville Island - Artitja Fina Art, Fremantle, WA, Australia. THE TIWI: Art from Jilamara & Munupi Art Centres - Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection, Charlottesville, VA, USA. 2013 Gallerist’s Choice - Art Mob, Hobart, TAS, Australia. Nga-wuja arungwapi – We are going forward - Tiwi Art Network, Darwin, NT, Australia. Nginingawula Munupi Jilamara: Our paintings from Munupi - Galerie Zadra (formerly Marshall Arts), Adelaide, SA, Australia. 2012 Masterstroke - Harvison Gallery, Perth, WA, Australia. Tiwi Tradition – Munupi Artists of Melville Island - Artitja Fine Art, Fremantle, WA, Australia. Kirilima + Jarrikalani – Jungle Fowl + Loggerhead - Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne, VIC, Australia. 29th Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award - Museum and Art Gallery of Northern Territory (MAGNT), NT, Australia. Parlini Amintiya Awirankini - Tiwi Art Network, Darwin, NT, Australia. TIWI: ART/HISTORY/CULTURE (Book Launch) - Aboriginal & Pacific Art, Sydney, NSW, Australia. 2011 Munupi Artists of Melville Island - Artitja Fine Art, Fremantle, WA, Australia. Painting & Pottery from Munupi & Ernabella - Kerrie Lowe Gallery, Sydney, NSW, Australia. International Grammar School Exhibition - Tali Gallery, Sydney, NSW Nginingawila Kurrujipini (Our Colour) - Tiwi Art Network, Darwin, NT, Australia. 2010 Kumunupanari (Season of Smoke) - Tiwi Art Network, Darwin, NT, Australia.



Cornelia Tipuamantumirri Working on New Painting Source: Š Photo Courtesy of Munupi Arts



Cornelia TIPUAMANTUMIRRI Jilamara Design Ochre on Linen 183 x 244cm 14-334

During ceremony on the Tiwi Islands, a series of yoi (dances) are performed; some are totemic (inherited from the person’s mother) and some serve to act out the narrative of newly composed songs. Participants in these ceremonies are painted with turtiyanginari (the different natural ochre colours) in varying designs, transforming the dancers and, in some cases, providing protection against recognition by mapurtiti (spirits). These designs can be applied in different ways, one of which is using the finger, or in this case a brush. Ochre is also applied to the body and face. These significant artistic designs collectively are called Jilamara.



Cornelia TIPUAMANTUMIRRI Jilamara Design Ochre on Linen 150 x 180cm 14-317

During ceremony on the Tiwi Islands, a series of yoi (dances) are performed; some are totemic (inherited from the person’s mother) and some serve to act out the narrative of newly composed songs. Participants in these ceremonies are painted with turtiyanginari (the different natural ochre colours) in varying designs, transforming the dancers and, in some cases, providing protection against recognition by mapurtiti (spirits). These designs can be applied in different ways, one of which is using the finger, or in this case a brush. Ochre is also applied to the body and face. These significant artistic designs collectively are called Jilamara.



Cornelia TIPUAMANTUMIRRI Winga (Tidal Movement/Waves) Ochre on Linen 180 x 120cm 16-196

This work depicts the tidal movement of waters in and around the seas and creeks of the Tiwi Islands. Not just influencing fishing and hunting opportunities, the movement of water carries masses of silt and sand, transforming the land and changing the coastal landscape. Winga can also be translated as ’waves’, just one part of the changing tides. Tidal surges are at their most powerful when a king tide occurs during the wet season, especially during a full moon. Cornelia has a strong bond to the waters surrounding the Tiwi Islands, forged by a lifetime of memories living encircled within the tides of the Arafura Sea.



Cornelia TIPUAMANTUMIRRI Jilamara Design Ochre on Linen 180 x 120cm 15-322

During ceremony on the Tiwi Islands, a series of yoi (dances) are performed; some are totemic (inherited from the person’s mother) and some serve to act out the narrative of newly composed songs. Participants in these ceremonies are painted with turtiyanginari (the different natural ochre colours) in varying designs, transforming the dancers and, in some cases, providing protection against recognition by mapurtiti (spirits). These designs can be applied in different ways. These designs can be applied in different ways, one of which is using the finger, or in this case a brush. Ochre is also applied to the body and face. These significant artistic designs collectively are called Jilamara.



Cornelia TIPUAMANTUMIRRI Pwoja Jilamara Ochre on Linen 180 x 120cm 16-461

During ceremony on the Tiwi Islands, a series of yoi (dances) are performed; some are totemic (inherited from the person’s Mother) and some serve to act out the narrative of newly composed songs. Participants in these ceremonies are painted with turtiyanginari (the different natural ochre colours) in varying designs, transforming the dancers and, in some cases, providing protection against recognition by mapurtiti (spirits). These designs can be applied in different ways, one of which is using the pwoja (or kayimwagakimi), a traditional Tiwi ‘comb’ carved with a single row of teeth on one or both ends, usually made using ironwood or bloodwood. After being dipped in ochre and applied to the body a straight row of dots is imprinted. Once completed, these dots are then collectively called yirrinkiripwoja (body painting). Painting of the face also occurs. These significant artistic designs collectively are called Jilamara.



Cornelia TIPUAMANTUMIRRI Pwoja Jilamara Ochre on Linen 180 x 120cm 16-609

During ceremony on the Tiwi Islands, a series of yoi (dances) are performed; some are totemic (inherited from the person’s Mother) and some serve to act out the narrative of newly composed songs. Participants in these ceremonies are painted with turtiyanginari (the different natural ochre colours) in varying designs, transforming the dancers and, in some cases, providing protection against recognition by mapurtiti (spirits). These designs can be applied in different ways, one of which is using the pwoja (or kayimwagakimi), a traditional Tiwi ‘comb’ carved with a single row of teeth on one or both ends, usually made using ironwood or bloodwood. After being dipped in ochre and applied to the body a straight row of dots is imprinted. Once completed, these dots are then collectively called yirrinkiripwoja (body painting). Painting of the face also occurs. These significant artistic designs collectively are called Jilamara.



Cornelia TIPUAMANTUMIRRI Winga (Tidal Movement/Waves) Ochre on Linen 160 x 100cm 12cor256

This work depicts the tidal movement of waters in and around the seas and creeks of the Tiwi Islands. Not just influencing fishing and hunting opportunities, the movement of water carries masses of silt and sand, transforming the land and changing the coastal landscape. Winga can also be translated as ’waves’, just one part of the changing tides. Tidal surges are at their most powerful when a king tide occurs during the wet season, especially during a full moon. Cornelia has a strong bond to the waters surrounding the Tiwi Islands, forged by a lifetime of memories living encircled within the tides of the Arafura Sea.



Cornelia TIPUAMANTUMIRRI Jilamara Design Ochre on Linen 160 x 100cm 16-266

During ceremony on the Tiwi Islands, a series of yoi (dances) are performed; some are totemic (inherited from the person’s mother) and some serve to act out the narrative of newly composed songs. Participants in these ceremonies are painted with turtiyanginari (the different natural ochre colours) in varying designs, transforming the dancers and, in some cases, providing protection against recognition by mapurtiti (spirits). These designs can be applied in different ways, one of which is using the finger, or in this case a brush. Ochre is also applied to the body and face. These significant artistic designs collectively are called Jilamara.



Cornelia TIPUAMANTUMIRRI Winga (Tidal Movement/Waves) Ochre on Linen 160 x 100cm 16-512

This work depicts the tidal movement of waters in and around the seas and creeks of the Tiwi Islands. Not just influencing fishing and hunting opportunities, the movement of water carries masses of silt and sand, transforming the land and changing the coastal landscape. Winga can also be translated as ’waves’, just one part of the changing tides. Tidal surges are at their most powerful when a king tide occurs during the wet season, especially during a full moon. Cornelia has a strong bond to the waters surrounding the Tiwi Islands, forged by a lifetime of memories living encircled within the tides of the Arafura Sea.



Cornelia TIPUAMANTUMIRRI Winga (Tidal Movement/Waves) Ochre on Linen 150 x 80cm 16-277

This work depicts the tidal movement of waters in and around the seas and creeks of the Tiwi Islands. Not just influencing fishing and hunting opportunities, the movement of water carries masses of silt and sand, transforming the land and changing the coastal landscape. Winga can also be translated as ’waves’, just one part of the changing tides. Tidal surges are at their most powerful when a king tide occurs during the wet season, especially during a full moon. Cornelia has a strong bond to the waters surrounding the Tiwi Islands, forged by a lifetime of memories living encircled within the tides of the Arafura Sea.



Cornelia TIPUAMANTUMIRRI Winga (Tidal Movement/Waves) Ochre on Linen 120 x 80cm 12cor375

This work depicts the tidal movement of waters in and around the seas and creeks of the Tiwi Islands. Not just influencing fishing and hunting opportunities, the movement of water carries masses of silt and sand, transforming the land and changing the coastal landscape. Winga can also be translated as ’waves’, just one part of the changing tides. Tidal surges are at their most powerful when a king tide occurs during the wet season, especially during a full moon. Cornelia has a strong bond to the waters surrounding the Tiwi Islands, forged by a lifetime of memories living encircled within the tides of the Arafura Sea.



Cornelia TIPUAMANTUMIRRI Winga (Tidal Movement/Waves) Ochre on Linen 120 x 80cm 14-20

This work depicts the tidal movement of waters in and around the seas and creeks of the Tiwi Islands. Not just influencing fishing and hunting opportunities, the movement of water carries masses of silt and sand, transforming the land and changing the coastal landscape. Winga can also be translated as ’waves’, just one part of the changing tides. Tidal surges are at their most powerful when a king tide occurs during the wet season, especially during a full moon. Cornelia has a strong bond to the waters surrounding the Tiwi Islands, forged by a lifetime of memories living encircled within the tides of the Arafura Sea.



Cornelia TIPUAMANTUMIRRI Winga (Tidal Movement/Waves) Ochre on Linen 80 x 120cm MU12COR141

This work depicts the tidal movement of waters in and around the seas and creeks of the Tiwi Islands. Not just influencing fishing and hunting opportunities, the movement of water carries masses of silt and sand, transforming the land and changing the coastal landscape. Winga can also be translated as ’waves’, just one part of the changing tides. Tidal surges are at their most powerful when a king tide occurs during the wet season, especially during a full moon. Cornelia has a strong bond to the waters surrounding the Tiwi Islands, forged by a lifetime of memories living encircled within the tides of the Arafura Sea.


Delores TIPUAMANTUMIRRI Birth Date Place of Birth Language Skin/Clan

28 February 1959 Bathurst Tiwi Warntarringa (Sun)

Delores Tipuamantumirri is the only child of the respected elders Cornelia and Steven Tipuamantumirri. She lives in Pirlamgimpi, Melville Island. Delores has a stepbrother, adopted by her parents after he was brought to the Tiwi Islands during the Stolen Generation of the 1960’s from Peppimenarti. Her late father was a ceremony singer, and the first Tiwi man to joined the Tiwi Land Council. Of her artist mother, Cornelia Tipuamantumirri, whom she speaks with great respect as a good teacher of traditional Tiwi culture. It was through Cornelia that she acquired weaving, dancing and hunting skills. Now, Delores is passing on these skills to her three children and nine grandchildren. Prior to joining Munupi Art in 2008, she worked at the Women’s centre and Aged Care in Pirlangimpi. She uses the traditional Tiwi comb for her painting, applying natural ochre tones to linen, creating a moving ripple effect suggesting a thrown fishing net.


Collections The Arthur Roe Collection, Melbourne, VIC, Australia. Kaplan & Levi Collection, Seattle, WA, USA. Andrew Penn Collection, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.

Selected Group Exhibitions 2017 Kiripapuranjuwi (Skilful Hands) - ReDot Fine Art Gallery, Singapore. 2016 Ngawila Jilamara Exhibition - DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Esplanade Darwin, Darwin, NT, Australia. Munupi - Galerie Luc Berthier, Paris, France. Summer Group Exhibition - Martin Browne Contemporary, Sydney, NSW, Australia. 2015 Cornelia Tipuamantumirri and Delores Tipuamantumirri – New Paintings from Munupi - Martin Browne Contemporary, Sydney, NSW, Australia. Tarnanthi – Festival of Contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia. Ngawa munupula/Ngawa Kiripapiranjuwi (New Paintings from Munupi Art on the Tiwi Islands) - Outstation Gallery, Darwin, NT, Australia. 2014 Ngawarraykiyama Najngawula; Stronger Together - Tiwi Art Network, Darwin, NT, Australia. WE ARE TIWI – Munupi Artists from Melville Island - Artitja Fina Art, Fremantle, WA, Australia. THE TIWI: Art from Jilamara & Munupi Art Centres - Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection & Harvey Art Projects, Charlottesville, VA, USA. 2013 Nga-wuja arungwapi – We are going forward - Tiwi Art Network, Darwin, NT, Australia. Nginingawula Munupi Jilamara: Our paintings from Munupi - Galerie Zadra (formerly Marshall Arts), Adelaide, SA, Australia. 2012 Tiwi Tradition – Munupi Artists of Melville Island - Artitja Fine Art, Fremantle, WA, Australia. 2010 Munupi Wilderness Lodge, Melville Island, Tiwi Islands, NT, Australia.



Delores Tipuamantumirri Painting with Pwoja (Traditional Tiwi Comb) Source: © Photo Courtesy of Munupi Arts



Delores TIPUAMANTUMIRRI Pwoja Jilamara Ochre on Linen 180 x 150cm 16-618

During ceremony on the Tiwi Islands, a series of yoi (dances) are performed; some are totemic (inherited from the person’s Mother) and some serve to act out the narrative of newly composed songs. Participants in these ceremonies are painted with turtiyanginari (the different natural ochre colours) in varying designs, transforming the dancers and, in some cases, providing protection against recognition by mapurtiti (spirits). These designs can be applied in different ways, one of which is using the pwoja (or kayimwagakimi), a traditional Tiwi ‘comb’ carved with a single row of teeth on one or both ends, usually made using ironwood or bloodwood. After being dipped in ochre and applied to the body a straight row of dots is imprinted. Once completed, these dots are then collectively called yirrinkiripwoja (body painting). Painting of the face also occurs. These significant artistic designs collectively are called Jilamara.



Delores TIPUAMANTUMIRRI Banapa Ochre on Linen 180 x 120cm 16-197

Banapa is the Tiwi word for net. Throw nets are commonly and expertly used for fishing off the beach. The shapes and forms these fish nets create whilst being cast translate into wonderful pictorial patterns.



Delores TIPUAMANTUMIRRI Banapa Ochre on Linen 180 x 120cm 15-274

Banapa is the Tiwi word for net. Throw nets are commonly and expertly used for fishing off the beach. The shapes and forms these fish nets create whilst being cast translate into wonderful pictorial patterns.


Natalie PUANTULURA Birth Date Deceased Date Place of Birth Language Skin/Clan

25 March 1975 2016 Bathurst Tiwi Japajapunga (March Fly)

Natalie Puantulura was taught to paint by her late grandparents, Jean Batiste Apuatimi and Declan Apuatimi, from whom she also learned about Tiwi culture and painting. Natalie painted with Tiwi Design art centre on Bathurst Island up until 2004, after which she and her partner, Edward Malati Yunupingu, moved to Pirlangimpi on Melville Island and began working with Munupi Arts & Crafts. Natalie’s explorations of Tiwi pattern and design has made her a highly sought after artist. She has exhibited in many leading galleries throughout Australia since 2002 and held her first solo exhibition in Tasmania in 2012. She also participated in the Darwin Festival ‘Lighthouse’ Wall Mural with five other Tiwi Artists. She was a finalist in the prestigious 20th Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award in the Works on Paper Category and again a finalist in the 33rd edition for the painting category.

Collections Art Gallery of Western Australia (AGWA), Perth, WA, Australia.

Awards 2016 2003

Finalist (General Painting Award) – 33rd Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Island Art Award - Museum & Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT), Darwin, NT, Australia. Finalist (Work on Paper Award) – 20th Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Island Art Award - Museum & Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT), Darwin, NT, Australia.


Selected Solo Exhibitions 2013 Puwangari, Miyinga, Jilamara – Dots, Lines, Designs - Art Mob, Hobart, TAS, Australia. 2012 Puwangari (Lots of Dots) - Art Mob, Hobart, TAS, Australia.

Selected Group Exhibitions 2017 Kiripapuranjuwi (Skilful Hands) - ReDot Fine Art Gallery, Singapore. 2016 Point of Difference – Desert to Sea - Artitja Fine Art, Perth, WA, Australia. 33rd Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Island Art Award - Museum & Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT), Darwin, NT, Australia. Ngawila Jilamara Exhibition - DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Esplanade Darwin, Darwin, NT, Australia. Redlands Konica Minolta Art Prize - National Art School (NAS), Sydney, NSW, Australia. 2015 Ngawa munupula/Ngawa Kiripapiranjuwi (New Paintings from Munupi Art on the Tiwi Islands) - Outstation Gallery, Darwin, NT, Australia. 2014 Ngawarraykiyama Najngawula; Stronger Together - Tiwi Art Network, Darwin, NT, Australia. WE ARE TIWI – Munupi Artists from Melville Island - Artitja Fina Art, Fremantle, WA, Australia. THE TIWI: Art from Jilamara & Munupi Art Centres - Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection, Charlottesville, VA, USA. 2013 Nginingawula Munupi Jilamara: Our paintings from Munupi - Galerie Zadra (formerly Marshall Arts), Adelaide, SA, Australia. Nga-wuja arungwapi – We are going forward - Tiwi Art Network, Darwin, NT, Australia. 2012 Parlini Amintiya Awirankini - Tiwi Art Network, Darwin, NT, Australia. TIWI: ART/HISTORY/CULTURE (Book Launch) - Aboriginal & Pacific Art, Sydney, NSW, Australia. TIWI: ART/HISTORY/CULTURE (Book Launch) – Vivien Anderson Gallery, Melbourne, VIC, Australia. Tiwi Tradition – Munupi Artists of Melville Island - Artitja Fine Art, Fremantle, WA, Australia. 2011 Masterstroke - Harvison Gallery, Perth, WA, Australia. Nginingawila Kurrujipini (Our Colour) - Tiwi Art Network, Darwin, NT, Australia.


2011 Emma’s Choice - Art Mob, Hobart, TAS, Australia. New Work from the Tiwi Islands - Art Equity, Sydney, NSW, Australia. Tiwi Temptations - Art Mob, Hobart, TAS, Australia. Munupi Artists of Melville Island - Artitja Fine Art, Fremantle, WA, Australia. Tiwi Shima - Northern Editions Gallery (Charles Darwin University), Darwin, NT, Australia. 2010 Generation Next - Randell Lane Fine Art, Perth, WA, Australia. Munupi Medley - Art Mob, Hobart, TAS, Australia. Out of the Earth - Artmob Gallery, Hobart, TAS, Australia. Kumunupanari (Season of Smoke) - Tiwi Art Network, Darwin, NT, Australia. Critic’s Choice (Susan McCulloch’s Selection) - Art Mob, Hobart, TAS, Australia. 2009 Ochre Imprints - Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute, Adelaide, SA, Australia.




Natalie PUANTULURA Pupuni Jilamara Ochre on Linen 182 x 244cm 16-318

During ceremony on the Tiwi Islands, a series of yoi (dances) are performed; some are totemic (inherited from the person’s mother) and some serve to act out the narrative of newly composed songs. Participants in these ceremonies are painted with turtiyanginari (the different natural ochre colours) in varying designs, transforming the dancers and, in some cases, providing protection against recognition by mapurtiti (spirits). These designs can be applied in different ways. Ochre is applied to the body and face. These significant artistic designs collectively are called Jilamara.


Nina (Ludwina) PURUNTATAMERI Birth Date Place of Birth Language Skin/Clan

24 September 1971 Bathurst Tiwi Japajapunga (March Fly)

Nina Puruntatameri was taught to paint by her father, Romuald Puruntatameri. As a 14-year-old, she would come home from school and work with him, painting his spears. Nina has worked at both Nguiu Adult Education and Munupi Arts & Crafts doing bark painting, screen printing, works on linen, etchings and linocuts. In 1993 Nina Puruntatameri won the Award for New Medium at the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards, providing recognition for her exceptional skills in etching. She comes from a family of accomplished artists. Her father is represented in the Museum and Art Gallery of Northern Territory Collection. Her grandfather, Paddy Teeampi Tepomitari Puruntatameri, and her aunt, Rosina Puantulura, both carvers, are represented in the Melbourne Museum Collection. Nina herself has various works represented in many Australian and international private and public collections.

Collections Brian Tucker Collection, Brisbane, QLD, Australia. The Museum of Cultural History (University of Oslo), Oslo, Norway. Artbank Collection, Sydney, NSW, Australia. Macquarie Bank Collection, Sydney, NSW, Australia. National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), Melbourne, VIC, Australia. La Trobe University Art Collection, Melbourne, VIC, Australia. Kaplan & Levi Collection, Seattle, WA, USA. Kerava Art Museum, Kerava, Finland. Rovaniemi Art Museum, Lapland, Finland. Museum fĂźr VĂślkerkunde (Museum of Ethnology), Hamburg, Germany. Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education, Batchelor, NT, Australia.


Australian National Maritime Museum (ANMM), Sydney, NSW, Australia. Museum of Fine Arts, Gifu, Japan. Flinders University Art Museum (FUAM), Adelaide, SA, Australia. Australian Embassy, Paris, France. Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT), Darwin, NT, Australia. Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA), Sydney, NSW, Australia

Awards 2013 Preselected (Wandjuk Marika Memorial Award) – 30th Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Island Art Award - Museum & Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT), Darwin, NT, Australia. 2008 Togart Contemporary Art Award - Chan Contemporary Art Space, Darwin, NT, Australia. Preselected – 25th Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Island Art Award Museum & Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT), Darwin, NT, Australia. 2007 Preselected – 24th Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Island Art Award Museum & Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT), Darwin, NT, Australia. 1995 12th Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Island Art Award - Museum & Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT), Darwin, NT, Australia. Selection of the Best - Nemarluk Exhibition, Darwin, NT, Australia. 1994 11th Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Island Art Award - Museum & Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT), Darwin, NT, Australia. 1993 Winner (New Medium) – 10th Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Island Art Award - Museum & Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT), Darwin, NT, Australia.

Selected Solo Exhibitions 2007 Nina Puruntatameri – New Works - Raft Artspace, Darwin, NT, Australia. 2005 Mipura Kirimi (Body Painting Designs) - Raft Artspace, Darwin, NT, Australia.


Selected Group Exhibitions 2017 Kiripapuranjuwi (Skilful Hands) - ReDot Fine Art Gallery, Singapore. 2015 Being Tiwi - Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Sydney, NSW, Australia. Ngawa munupula/Ngawa Kiripapiranjuwi (New Paintings from Munupi Art on the Tiwi Islands) - Outstation Gallery, Darwin, NT, Australia. Ngawarraykiyama Najngawula; Stronger Together - Tiwi Art Network, Darwin, NT, Australia. 2014 WE ARE TIWI – Munupi Artists from Melville Island - Artitja Fina Art, Fremantle, WA, Australia. THE TIWI: Art from Jilamara & Munupi Art Centres - Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection, Charlottesville, VA, USA. 2013 30th Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award - Museum and Art Gallery of Northern Territory (MAGNT), NT, Australia. Tiwi Exhibition - Framed Art Gallery, Darwin, NT, Australia Nga-wuja arungwapi – We are going forward - Tiwi Art Network, Darwin, NT, Australia. Nginingawula Munupi Jilamara: Our paintings from Munupi - Galerie Zadra (formerly Marshall Arts), Adelaide, SA, Australia. 2012 Tiwi Tradition – Munupi Artists of Melville Island - Artitja Fine Art, Fremantle, WA, Australia. Salt of the Earth: Indigenous Art from the Land - McCulloch & McCulloch (at Salt Contemporary Art), Queenscliff, VIC, Australia. Parlini Amintiya Awirankini - Tiwi Art Network, Darwin, NT, Australia. 2011 Tiwi Island – Ochre on Paper - Nomad Gallery, Canberra, ACT, Australia. Nina Puruntatameri & Susan Wanji Wanji - Aboriginal & Pacific Art, Sydney, NSW, Australia. We Paint the Stories of Our Culture - Museum of Cultural History (University of Oslo), Oslo, Norway. Munupi Artists of Melville Island - Artitja Fine Art, Fremantle, WA, Australia. New Work from the Tiwi Islands - Art Equity, Sydney, NSW, Australia. Tiwi Temptations - Art Mob, Hobart, TAS, Australia. Nginingawila Kurrujipini (Our Colour) - Tiwi Art Network, Darwin, NT, Australia. Masterstroke - Harvison Gallery, Perth, WA, Australia. Tiwi Island Art - Aranda Aboriginal Art, Melbourne, VIC, Australia. Tiwi Shima - Northern Editions Gallery (Charles Darwin University), Darwin, NT, Australia. 2010 Munupi Medley - Art Mob, Hobart, TAS, Australia.


2010 Mukumuwu – To Be Together - Tiwi Art Network, Darwin, NT, Australia. Munupi Arts - Hogarth Galleries, Sydney, NSW, Australia. Treading Lightly - Tali Gallery, Sydney, NSW, Australia. Kumunupanari (Season of Smoke) - Tiwi Art Network, Darwin, NT, Australia. A 9x12” Coo-ee Christmas – Coo-ee Aboriginal Art Gallery, Sydney, NSW, Australia. Munupi Arts - Qdos Gallery, Lorne, VIC, Australia. Aramini - National Art School (NAS), Sydney, NSW, Australia. 2008 Yirrajirrima murakupuni nginingaji ngawila pumpuni jilamara (Three countries, all of us, our good designs) - Tiwi Art Network, Darwin, NT, Australia. Ignite: St Ignatius Art Show, Adelaide, SA, Australia. 2006 Aboriginal Print Makers - Framed Art Gallery, Darwin, NT, Australia. 2005 Munupi Arts Show - Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne, VIC, Australia. Pukupunawu - Bandigan Art, Woollahra, NSW, Australia. 2003 Tokwapi (Everything) Tiwi - Art Mob, Hobart, TAS, Australia. 2000 Tiwi Traditional and Contemporary Art - Griffith Gallery, Canberra, ACT, Australia. Takwani Munupi – Everything Munupi - Mossenson Galleries (formerly Indigenart), Perth, WA, Australia. 1998 United Nations, Geneva, Switzerland. 1997 lndigenart Exhibition - Singapore. 1996 Munupi Tiwi Exhibition - Hong Kong. 1994 Epama Epam!: Everything has meaning - Art Gallery of Greater Victoria (AGGV), Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. 1993 New Tracks, Old Land - Contemporary Prints from Aboriginal Australia - USA & Australia (Touring Exhibition). Stories - Kerava Art Museum, Karava, Rovaniemi Art Museum, Lapland, Finland 1992 Australian Embassy, Paris, France. Alliance Française, Canberra, ACT, Australia.



Nina (Ludwina) PURUNTATAMERI Kulama Design Ochre on Linen 180 x 120cm 13nin138

The Kulama design depicts this important ceremony of the Tiwi people; the dancers and singers create a circle and prepare the poisonous yam for eating, as indicated by the circles in the painting. The Kulama ceremony was given to the Tiwi people by the Nyingawi, who are little spirit people (as depicted in Tiwi mythology). It is a celebration of life and food, occurring at the end of the wet season. The Tiwi know when to perform Kulama when the last full moon of the wet season has a yellow halo surrounding it, which tells them that Japarra (the moon man) is ready for it to begin.



Nina (Ludwina) PURUNTATAMERI Kulama Design Ochre on Linen 120 x 180cm 16-207

The Kulama design depicts this important ceremony of the Tiwi people; the dancers and singers create a circle and prepare the poisonous yam for eating, as indicated by the circles in the painting. The Kulama ceremony was given to the Tiwi people by the Nyingawi, who are little spirit people (as depicted in Tiwi mythology). It is a celebration of life and food, occurring at the end of the wet season. The Tiwi know when to perform Kulama when the last full moon of the wet season has a yellow halo surrounding it, which tells them that Japarra (the moon man) is ready for it to begin.


Josephine BURAK Birth Date Place of Birth Language Skin/Clan

10 December 1977 Pirlangimipi, Melville Island Tiwi Marntimapila (Stone)

Josephine Burak is the daughter of respected custodian of traditional medical knowledge, Lydia Burak. Having gained her mother’s carving skills, Josephine often prepares her own pwoja (comb, painting tool) to shape it to her exact needs. At school, art was her favourite subject. In Josephine’s works, the subject will often be the significant Kulama Ceremony, though her designs are also wonderfully reminiscent of astronomic star charts.

Selected Group Exhibitions 2017 Kiripapuranjuwi (Skilful Hands) - ReDot Fine Art Gallery, Singapore. 2016 Point of Difference – Desert to Sea - Artitja Fine Art, Perth, WA, Australia. Foires d’Art Contemporain - Arts d’Australie, Paris, France. 2015 Ngawa munupula/Ngawa Kiripapiranjuwi (New Paintings from Munupi Art on the Tiwi Islands) - Outstation Gallery, Darwin, NT, Australia. 2014 WE ARE TIWI – Munupi Artists from Melville Island - Artitja Fina Art, Fremantle, WA, Australia. THE TIWI: Art from Jilamara & Munupi Art Centres - Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection, Charlottesville, VA, USA. 2013 Tiwi Exhibition - Framed Art Gallery, Darwin, NT, Australia. Tiwi Shima - Northern Editions Gallery (Charles Darwin University), Darwin, NT, Australia. Nginingawula Munupi Jilamara: Our paintings from Munupi - Galerie Zadra (formerly Marshall Arts), Adelaide, SA, Australia. Nga-wuja arungwapi – We are going forward - Tiwi Art Network, Darwin, NT, Australia. 2012 TIWI: ART/HISTORY/CULTURE (Book Launch) - Aboriginal & Pacific Art, Sydney, NSW, Australia.


2012 Tiwi Tradition – Munupi Artists of Melville Island - Artitja Fine Art, Fremantle, WA, Australia. TIWI: ART/HISTORY/CULTURE (Book Launch) - Vivien Anderson Gallery, Melbourne, VIC, Australia. 2011 Munupi Artists of Melville Island - Artitja Fine Art, Fremantle, WA, Australia. New Work from the Tiwi Islands - Art Equity, Sydney, NSW, Australia. Tiwi Island Art - Aranda Aboriginal Art, Melbourne, VIC, Australia. Tiwi Temptations - Art Mob, Hobart, TAS, Australia. 2010 Kumunupanari (Season of Smoke) - Tiwi Art Network, Darwin, NT, Australia. Treading Lightly - Tali Gallery, Sydney, NSW, Australia. A 9x12” Coo-ee Christmas – Coo-ee Aboriginal Art Gallery, Sydney, NSW, Australia. Munupi Arts - Qdos Gallery, Lorne, VIC, Australia. 2009 Ochre Imprints - Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute, Adelaide, SA, Australia. Mukumuwu – To Be Together - Tiwi Art Network, Darwin, NT, Australia. 2008 Yirrajirrima murakupuni nginingaji ngawila pumpuni jilamara (Three countries, all of us, our good designs) - Tiwi Art Network, Darwin, NT, Australia. 2006 Aboriginal Print Makers - Framed Art Gallery, Darwin, NT, Australia. Yilonjinga, Kirijipuni, Arrikirninga - Randell Lane Fine Art, Perth, WA, Australia. Star Arts - Ambrose Consulting, Darwin, NT, Australia. 2005 Pukupunawu - Bandigan Art, Woollahra, NSW, Australia. Munupi Arts Show - Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne, VIC, Australia. Indigenous Art Exhibition - Australian Embassy, Paris, France. 2004 Salt & Stone: Art Centres of Arnhem Land & Tiwi - The Cross Art Projects, Sydney, NSW, Australia. 2003 Tokwapi (Everything) Tiwi - Art Mob, Hobart, TAS, Australia. 2002 The Elements - Netanya Noosa, Noosa, QLD, Australia. One Night Only – Victorian Women’s Legal Aid Show - 45 Downstairs Gallery, Melbourne, VIC, Australia. Yikwani Munupi – Mossenson Galleries (formerly Indigenart), Perth, WA, Australia. Awana Mantawi – Hello Friends - Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute, Adelaide, SA, Australia. 2001 Tracking Kultja Festival - National Museum of Australia (NMA), Canberra, ACT, Australia. 2000 Contemporary Tiwi Artists - Port Jackson Fine Art Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA, USA. 1999 Claiming Title: Contemporary Australian Aboriginal Art and the Land - USA (Touring Exhibition). 1998 Walonia Exhibition - Florence, Italy, Brussels, Belgium.



Josephine BURAK Kulama Design Ochre on Canvas 120 x 40cm 15-117

The Kulama design depicts this important ceremony of the Tiwi people; the dancers and singers create a circle and prepare the poisonous yam for eating, as indicated by the circles in the painting. The Kulama ceremony was given to the Tiwi people by the Nyingawi, who are little spirit people (as depicted in Tiwi mythology). It is a celebration of life and food, occurring at the end of the wet season. The Tiwi know when to perform Kulama when the last full moon of the wet season has a yellow halo surrounding it, which tells them that Japarra (the moon man) is ready for it to begin.


Karina COOMBES Birth Date Place of Birth Language Skin/Clan

17 May 1982 Darwin Tiwi Takaringuwi (Scaly Mullet)

Karina is the daughter of Florence PuruntatameriCoombes, and Graeme Coombes. Her mother is a Tiwi woman from Pirlangimpi Community on Melville Island. Her father originated from Queenstown, New Zealand but married Florence as a young man and called Pirlangimpi home for over 30 years. He raised Karina and her siblings on the islands, visiting New Zealand only a handful of times during that time with his wife and children. Graeme passed away in 2010. Karina still lives permanently at Pirlangimpi with her three children, Stanley, Latoya and Janae. She works for the Tiwi Islands Training and Employment Board. She’s also now known as ‘Penny’ due to her being a Penrith Panthers supporter as a young girl, she now follows AFL more so than Rugby League. Her artistic career began in mid-2010 under the direction of her mother and grandfather, Justin Puruntatameri. Justin was able to give Karina invaluable advice on what she could correctly portray as defined by her Tiwi family ties. She has since progressed from depicting Jarrikalani and Takaringa, to portraying the various incarnations of the night sky as it appears over the Tiwi Islands.

Selected Group Exhibitions 2017 2016 2013 2012

Kiripapuranjuwi (Skilful Hands) - ReDot Fine Art Gallery, Singapore. Point of Difference – Desert to Sea - Artitja Fine Art, Perth, WA, Australia. Ngawila Jilamara Exhibition - DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Esplanade Darwin, Darwin, NT, Australia. Spiritual Materialism - Ilena Tounta Art Centre, Athens, Greece. Gallerist’s Choice - Art Mob, Hobart, TAS, Australia. Parlini Amintiya Awirankini - Tiwi Art Network, Darwin, NT, Australia.


2012 2011

Tiwi Tradition – Munupi Artists of Melville Island - Artitja Fine Art, Fremantle, WA, Australia. Dot to Dot - Art Mob, Hobart, TAS, Australia. Tiwi Island Art - Aranda Aboriginal Art, Melbourne, VIC, Australia. Tiwi Temptations - Art Mob, Hobart, TAS, Australia. Emma’s Choice - Art Mob, Hobart, TAS, Australia.



Karina COOMBES Jilamara Design Ochre on Canvas 120 x 40cm 15-299

During ceremony on the Tiwi Islands, a series of yoi (dances) are performed; some are totemic (inherited from the person’s mother) and some serve to act out the narrative of newly composed songs. Participants in these ceremonies are painted with turtiyanginari (the different natural ochre colours) in varying designs, transforming the dancers and, in some cases, providing protection against recognition by mapurtiti (spirits). These designs can be applied in different ways, one of which is using the finger, or in this case a brush. Ochre is also applied to the body and face. These significant artistic designs collectively are called Jilamara.


Kaye Mary ORSTO Birth Date Place of Birth Language Skin/Clan

26 February 1964 Tiwi Marntimapila (Stone)

Selected Group Exhibitions 2017 Kiripapuranjuwi (Skilful Hands) - ReDot Fine Art Gallery, Singapore.




Kaye Mary ORSTO Pwoja Jilamara Ochre on Canvas 120 x 80cm 16-455

During ceremony on the Tiwi Islands, a series of yoi (dances) are performed; some are totemic (inherited from the person’s Mother) and some serve to act out the narrative of newly composed songs. Participants in these ceremonies are painted with turtiyanginari (the different natural ochre colours) in varying designs, transforming the dancers and, in some cases, providing protection against recognition by mapurtiti (spirits). These designs can be applied in different ways, one of which is using the pwoja (or kayimwagakimi), a traditional Tiwi ‘comb’ carved with a single row of teeth on one or both ends, usually made using ironwood or bloodwood. After being dipped in ochre and applied to the body a straight row of dots is imprinted. Once completed, these dots are then collectively called yirrinkiripwoja (body painting). Painting of the face also occurs. These significant artistic designs collectively are called Jilamara.


Maria Josette ORSTO Birth Date Place of Birth Language Skin/Clan

29 October 1962 Pirlangimpi, Melville Island Tiwi Japajapunga (March Fly)

Maria Josette Orsto, who resides in Bathurst, was the first female artist of Munupi Art and Crafts association, where she still works from occasionally. The daughter of Jean Batiste Apuatimi and Declan Apuatimi, Maria Josette was taught painting and carving from a very early age. With her late husband a reputed carver, she has been at the forefront of the art developments in the Tiwi Islands. An acclaimed artist in her own right, she has exhibited extensively nationally and internationally. She is also a dedicated artist who works in many media including painting, printing batik and carving. As a strong cultural woman, Maria Josette creates contemporary works that bridge the old and the new through her own personal creative interpretation.

Collections Kaplan & Levi Collection, Seattle, WA, USA. National Gallery of Australia (NGA), Canberra, ACT, Australia. Australian Embassy, Paris, France. Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, Washington, USA. Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA), Sydney, NSW, Australia. National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), Melbourne, VIC, Australia. Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA), Brisbane, QLD, Australia. The Arthur Roe Collection, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.

Selected Solo Exhibitions 2016 Maria Josette Orsto Exhibition - Japingka Gallery, Fremantle, WA, Australia.


Selected Group Exhibitions 2017 Kiripapuranjuwi (Skilful Hands) - ReDot Fine Art Gallery, Singapore. 2015 Being Tiwi - Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Sydney, NSW, Australia. 2013 Nga-wuja arungwapi – We are going forward - Tiwi Art Network, Darwin, NT, Australia. 2012 Undisclosed: National Indigenous Art Triennial - National Gallery of Australia (NGA), Canberra, ACT, Australia. Parlini Amintiya Awirankini - Tiwi Art Network, Darwin, NT, Australia. Maternal Lines (Prints with Jean Baptiste Apuatimi) - Charles Darwin University, Darwin, NT, Australia. Honiara Artist’s Exhibition - Festival of Pacific Arts, Solomon Islands. 2011 Mossenson Galleries, Perth, WA, Australia. Nginingawila Kurrujipini (Our Colour) - Tiwi Art Network, Darwin, NT, Australia. Charles Darwin University Student Exhibition - Jogjakarta, Indonesia. Tiwi Island Art - Aranda Aboriginal Art, Melbourne, VIC, Australia. 2010 Looking Forward Looking Back - Charles Darwin University (CDU), Darwin, NT, Australia. Melbourne Art Fair, Melbourne, VIC, Australia (Represented by Alison Kelly Gallery). Pupuni Jilamara - Woolloongabba Art Gallery, Brisbane, QLD, Australia. 2007 Colourful Designs for the End of the Wet Season - Framed Art Gallery, Darwin, NT, Australia. Mamirnikuwi yirrinkiripwaja Miyinga - Alison Kelly Gallery, Melbourne, VIC, Australia. 2006 Kiripapurajuwi Ngini Ngawula Jilamara - Raft Art Space, Darwin, NT Yirrajirrima murrakupuni ngawurraningimarri - Tiwi Art Network, Darwin, NT, Australia. 2005 Tiwi Design on Paper, Mossenson Galleries (formerly Indigenart), Perth, WA, Australia. 2004 Big Country - Gallery Gondwana, Alice Springs, NT, Australia. 2003 Nungi-Mi - Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne, VIC, Australia. 20th Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Island Art Award - Museum & Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT), Darwin, NT, Australia. Wangatunga Jilamara - Raft Artspace, Darwin, NT, Australia. 2002 Kiripuranji - Artbank (Touring Exhibition of Australian Embassies on four Continents) Wangatunga Jilamara (Family Show) - Helen Maxwell Gallery, Canberra, ACT, Australia. Awuna Mantawi - Tiwi Art Network, Adelaide, SA, Australia. Helen Maxwell Gallery, Canberra, ACT, Australia.


2002 Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute, Adelaide, SA, Australia. 2001 New Works from Bathurst Island - Gallery Gondwana, Alice Springs, NT, Australia. 2000 Papaluwi Jilarmara - Fremantle Art Centre, Fremantle, WA, Australia. Taos, New Mexico. National Indigenous Heritage Art Award - Parliament House, Canberra, ACT, Australia. Tiwi 2000 - Gallery Gondwana, Alice Springs, NT, Australia. 1999 Ngawayati - Coo-ee Aboriginal Art Gallery, Sydney, NSW, Australia. 1998 15th Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Island Art Award - Museum & Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT), Darwin, NT, Australia. 1997 Tiwi Art Exhibition - Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA), Sydney, NSW, Australia. 1994 Tiwi Art – Tradition and Change - Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute, Adelaide, SA, Australia. Girls Own Territory - Darwin Entertainment Centre, Darwin, NT, Australia. Community Aid Abroad Exhibition - Hobart, TAS, Australia. 1993 Mamunukuwi Jilarmara – Tiwi Women’s Art - Drill Hall Gallery (Australian National University), Canberra, ACT, Australia National Gallery of Australia (NGA), Canberra, ACT, Australia. 1992 Drill Hall Gallery (Australian National University), Canberra, ACT, Australia. National Indigenous Heritage Art Award - The Australian Heritage Commission, Canberra, ACT, Australia. Savode Gallery, Brisbane, QLD, Australia. Alliance Francaise, Canberra, ACT, Australia. Australian Embassy, Paris, France. Munupi Dreaming - VIC, Australia (Touring Exhibition). 9th Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Island Art Award - Museum & Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT), Darwin, NT, Australia. Munupi Prints - 24HR Art, Darwin, NT, Australia. 1991 The Third Eye, Edinburgh, UK. Studio One, Canberra, ACT, Australia. Hogarth Galleries, Sydney, NSW, Australia. Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne, VIC, Australia. Munupi Dreaming - NSW, Australia (Touring Exhibition). Aboriginal Women’s Art - Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW), Sydney, NSW, Australia. Flash Pictures - National Gallery of Australia (NGA), Canberra, ACT, Australia. Canberra City Framing Gallery, Canberra, ACT, Australia.


1990 Shades of Ochre - AGOG Gallery, Canberra, ACT, Australia. 7th Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Island Art Award - Museum & Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT), Darwin, NT, Australia.



Maria Josette ORSTO Miyinga Ochre on Linen 120 x 80cm 16-167

Old men and women used to cut themselves when their sons or daughters passed away and when they were having ceremonies.



Maria Josette ORSTO Pupuni Jilamara Ochre on Linen 120 x 80cm 16-205

During ceremony on the Tiwi Islands, a series of yoi (dances) are performed; some are totemic (inherited from the person’s Mother) and some serve to act out the narrative of newly composed songs. Participants in these ceremonies are painted with turtiyanginari (the different natural ochre colours) in varying designs, transforming the dancers and, in some cases, providing protection against recognition by mapurtiti (spirits). These designs can be applied in different ways, one of which is using the finger, or in this case a brush. Painting of the face also occurs. These significant artistic designs collectively are called Jilamara.



Maria Josette ORSTO Pwoja Jilamara Ochre on Linen 120 x 80cm 16-446

During ceremony on the Tiwi Islands, a series of yoi (dances) are performed; some are totemic (inherited from the person’s Mother) and some serve to act out the narrative of newly composed songs. Participants in these ceremonies are painted with turtiyanginari (the different natural ochre colours) in varying designs, transforming the dancers and, in some cases, providing protection against recognition by mapurtiti (spirits). These designs can be applied in different ways, one of which is using the pwoja (or kayimwagakimi), a traditional Tiwi ‘comb’ carved with a single row of teeth on one or both ends, usually made using ironwood or bloodwood. After being dipped in ochre and applied to the body a straight row of dots is imprinted. Once completed, these dots are then collectively called yirrinkiripwoja (body painting). Painting of the face also occurs. These significant artistic designs collectively are called Jilamara.


Reppie Anne PAPAJUA (ORSTO) Birth Date Place of Birth Language Skin/Clan

31 January 1959 Bathurst Tiwi White Cockatoo

Reppie Anne Papajua (Orsto) has worked at Munupi Arts & Crafts since its beginnings in 1985, producing intricate fabric and t-shirt designs as well as paintings. Reppie Anne also spent some time in 1989 producing designs for the Territoriana label in Darwin. She participated in Munupi’s first printmaking workshop in Canberra in 1990 and in June 1992 she travelled to Paris to atend the opening of the Munupi exhibition at The Australian Embassy. At the invitation of the Canadian Government, she also attended the exhibition Epama Epam! Everything has Meaning: An Exhibition of Contemporary Aboriginal Art from Australia to coincide with the Olympic Games. In 2002 Reppie Anne had her first solo show at Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi in Melbourne.

Collections National Gallery of Australia (NGA), Canberra, ACT, Australia. Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT), Darwin, NT, Australia. News Limited Collection. Parliament House Art Collection, Canberra, ACT, Australia. National Australian Maritime Museum, Sydney, NSW The Kelton Foundation, Santa Monica, CA, USA. Northern Territory Department Conservation, Darwin, NT, Australia.

Awards 2004 21st Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Island Art Award - Museum & Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT), Darwin, NT, Australia.


Selected Solo Exhibitions 2002 Solo Exhibition - Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.

Selected Group Exhibitions 2017 Kiripapuranjuwi (Skilful Hands) - ReDot Fine Art Gallery, Singapore. 2013 Nginingawula Munupi Jilamara: Our paintings from Munupi - Galerie Zadra (formerly Marshall Arts), Adelaide, SA, Australia. Nga-wuja arungwapi – We are going forward - Tiwi Art Network, Darwin, NT, Australia. 2012 Tiwi Tradition – Munupi Artists of Melville Island - Artitja Fine Art, Fremantle, WA, Australia. 2011 Nginingawila Kurrujipini (Our Colour) - Tiwi Art Network, Darwin, NT, Australia. Tiwi Temptations - Art Mob, Hobart, TAS, Australia. Painting & Pottery from Munupi & Ernabella - Kerrie Lowe Gallery, Sydney, NSW, Australia. Munupi Artists of Melville Island - Artitja Fine Art, Fremantle, WA, Australia. 2010 Kumunupanari (Season of Smoke) - Tiwi Art Network, Darwin, NT, Australia. Munupi Arts - Qdos Gallery, Lorne, VIC, Australia. 2006 Green Turtle Dreaming - Cairns Regional Gallery & Darnley Island Cultural Centre, Cairns, QLD, Gab Titui Cultural Centre, Thursday Island, QLD, Geelong Gallery, Geelong, VIC, Australia (Touring Exhibition). 2005 Green Turtle Dreaming - Museum of Perth & Gadfly Gallery, Perth, Museum of Geraldton, Geraldton, Kalgoorlie Museum, Kalgoorlie, WA, Australia, Sarawak State Museum, Kuching, Malaysia (Touring Exhibition). Ngini Ngawula Ngiramini Amitiya Murakupuni - Northern Editions Gallery (Charles Darwin University), Darwin, NT, Australia. Tiwi Art - Gadfly Gallery, Perth, WA, Australia. Indigenous Art Exhibition - Australian Embassy, Paris, France. Pukupunawu - Bandigan Art, Woollahra, NSW, Australia. 2004 Yirringirripwaja - Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne, VIC, Australia. 2003 Tayikuwapi – All Together - Mossenson Galleries, Perth, WA, Australia. Tokwapi Ngirramini - On Shore Art Gallery, Barwon Heads, VIC, Australia. Yirri Kirri Pwaja – Making Fine Lines - Framed Art Gallery, Darwin, NT, Australia. Tokwapi (Everything) Tiwi - Art Mob, Hobart, TAS, Australia.



Reppie Anne PAPAJUA (ORSTO) Pwoja Jilamara Ochre on Canvas 120 x 80cm 16-489

During ceremony on the Tiwi Islands, a series of yoi (dances) are performed; some are totemic (inherited from the person’s Mother) and some serve to act out the narrative of newly composed songs. Participants in these ceremonies are painted with turtiyanginari (the different natural ochre colours) in varying designs, transforming the dancers and, in some cases, providing protection against recognition by mapurtiti (spirits). These designs can be applied in different ways, one of which is using the pwoja (or kayimwagakimi), a traditional Tiwi ‘comb’ carved with a single row of teeth on one or both ends, usually made using ironwood or bloodwood. After being dipped in ochre and applied to the body a straight row of dots is imprinted. Once completed, these dots are then collectively called yirrinkiripwoja (body painting). Painting of the face also occurs. These significant artistic designs collectively are called Jilamara.


Maree PURUNTATAMERI Birth Date Place of Birth Language Skin/Clan

30 September 1952 Alice Springs Tiwi, Pakanh Marntimapila (Stone)

Maree Puruntatameri has been painting at Munupi since 1989. She married well-known Indigenous potter Eddie Puruntatameri who founded both the Tiwi Pottery on Bathurst Island and Pirlangimpi Pottery at Munupi Arts & Crafts on Melville Island, and moved to the Tiwi Islands when she was 16 years old. Maree’s style reflects traditional influences from her birthplace in the desert, north of Alice Springs, as well as Tiwi influences. Maree is the mother of six children, all of which have inherited their parents’ artistic abilities. She also works her designs onto pottery and is recognised for her gouache on paper and canvas by many galleries. Her work is also represented by Blue Moon (John Sands Pty) greeting cards and wrapping paper. Maree recently extended her skills to producing limited edition reduction lino prints and etchings.

Collections John Sands Pty Ltd, Melbourne, VIC, Australia. National Gallery of Australia (NGA), Canberra, ACT, Australia. Museum of Fine Arts, Gifu, Japan. News Limited Collection.

Selected Group Exhibitions 2017 2016 2010

Kiripapuranjuwi (Skilful Hands) - ReDot Fine Art Gallery, Singapore. Point of Difference – Desert to Sea - Artitja Fine Art, Perth, WA, Australia. Kumunupanari (Season of Smoke) - Tiwi Art Network, Darwin, NT, Australia. Munupi Arts - Qdos Gallery, Lorne, VIC, Australia. A 9x12” Coo-ee Christmas – Coo-ee Aboriginal Art Gallery, Sydney, NSW, Australia. Aramini - National Art School (NAS), Sydney, NSW, Australia.


2006 Fine Aboriginal Prints - Gecko Gallery, Broome, WA, Australia. 2005 Pukupunawu - Bandigan Art, Woollahra, NSW, Australia. Ngini Ngawula Ngiramini Amitiya Murakupuni - Northern Editions Gallery (Charles Darwin University), Darwin, NT, Australia. 2004 Salt & Stone: Art Centres of Arnhem Land & Tiwi - The Cross Art Projects, Sydney, NSW, Australia. Two Decades of Munupi Prints - KickArts Contemporary Arts, Cairns, QLD, Australia. 2003 Tokwapi (Everything) Tiwi - Art Mob, Hobart, TAS, Australia. Tokwapi Ngirramini - On Shore Art Gallery, Barwon Heads, VIC, Australia. Spirit and Vision – Aboriginal Art - Essl Museum, Klosterneuburg, Austria. Muwiyati Mantawi – Sharing with My Friends - Helen Maxwell Gallery, Canberra, ACT, Australia. A Decade of Prints - Northern Editions Gallery (Charles Darwin University), Darwin, NT, Australia. Yirri Kirri Pwaja – Making Fine Lines - Framed Art Gallery, Darwin, NT, Australia. 2002 Tokwapi Murrukapuni - Darwin Entertainment Centre, Darwin, NT, Australia. The Elements - Netanya Noosa, Noosa, QLD, Australia. Awana Mantawi – Hello Friends - Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute, Adelaide, SA, Australia. Yikwani Munupi – Mossenson Galleries (formerly Indigenart), Perth, WA, Australia. One Night Only – Victorian Women’s Legal Aid Show - 45 Downstairs Gallery, Melbourne, VIC, Australia. 2001 Islands in the Sun - National Gallery of Australia (NGA), Canberra, ACT, Australia. Tracking Kultja Festival - National Museum of Australia (NMA), Canberra, ACT, Australia. Tokumpini - Mossenson Galleries (formerly Indigenart), Frementle, WA, Australia. Tangini Art Show - Kormilda College, Darwin, NT, Australia. 2000 Contemporary Tiwi Artists - Port Jackson Fine Art Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA, USA. 1999 Munupi – Tiwi Aboriginal Prints - Studio One, Canberra, ACT, Australia. 18th Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award - Museum and Art Gallery of Northern Territory (MAGNT), NT, Australia. 1998 United Nations, Geneva, Switzerland. Walonia Exhibition - Florence, Italy, Brussels, Belgium. 17th Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award - Museum and Art Gallery of Northern Territory (MAGNT), NT, Australia. 1996 Munupi Tiwi Exhibition - Hong Kong. National Aboriginal Heritage Exhibition - Parliament House, Canberra, ACT, Australia.



Maree PURUNTATAMERI Jilamara Design Ochre on Canvas 100 x 100cm 16-540

During ceremony on the Tiwi Islands, a series of yoi (dances) are performed; some are totemic (inherited from the person’s mother) and some serve to act out the narrative of newly composed songs. Participants in these ceremonies are painted with turtiyanginari (the different natural ochre colours) in varying designs, transforming the dancers and, in some cases, providing protection against recognition by mapurtiti (spirits). These designs can be applied in different ways, one of which is using the finger, or in this case a brush. Ochre is also applied to the body and face. These significant artistic designs collectively are called Jilamara.


Paulina (Jedda) PURUNTATAMERI Birth Date Place of Birth Language Skin/Clan

29 June 1957 Bathurst Tiwi Takaringuwi (Scaly Mullet)

Paulina Puruntatameri, who is also known as Jedda, is the chairperson of the Munupi Arts & Crafts Centre. Paulina only started painting three years ago, but she was already working at Munupi providing Tiwi language translations for stories connecting their paintings. Her interests lie in preserving culture, language, art and songs. One of her passions is digital archiving and repatriation of old artefacts that have been taken from the Tiwi Islands. Paulina shares, “It’s for our future generation to learn and respect and embrace their cultural side. Who they are and where they are from. We as the Tiwi people are the custodians of our lands. We must speak for the land and make sure we look after the land and the sea.”

Collections Kaplan & Levi Collection, Seattle, WA, USA. The Arthur Roe Collection, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

Selected Group Exhibitions 2017 2016 2014 2013

Kiripapuranjuwi (Skilful Hands) - ReDot Fine Art Gallery, Singapore Ngawila Jilamara Exhibition - DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Esplanade Darwin, Darwin, NT, Australia. Spiritual Materialism - Ilena Tounta Art Centre, Athens, Greece. WE ARE TIWI – Munupi Artists from Melville Island - Artitja Fina Art, Fremantle, WA, Australia. Nginingawula Munupi Jilamara: Our paintings from Munupi - Galerie Zadra (formerly Marshall Arts), Adelaide, SA, Australia.


2013 Tiwi Tradition – Munupi Artists of Melville Island - Artitja Fine Art, Fremantle, WA, Australia.



Paulina (Jedda) PURUNTATAMERI Jilamara Design Ochre on Linen 180 x 120cm 16-149

During ceremony on the Tiwi Islands, a series of yoi (dances) are performed; some are totemic (inherited from the person’s mother) and some serve to act out the narrative of newly composed songs. Participants in these ceremonies are painted with turtiyanginari (the different natural ochre colours) in varying designs, transforming the dancers and, in some cases, providing protection against recognition by mapurtiti (spirits). These designs can be applied in different ways, one of which is using the finger, or in this case a brush. Ochre is also applied to the body and face. These significant artistic designs collectively are called Jilamara.


Diane TIPUNGWUTI Birth Date Place of Birth Language Skin/Clan

20 April 1961 Bathurst Tiwi Takaringuwi (Scaly Mullet)

Diane Tipungwuti’s works are strongly individual and are characterised by fine cross hatching designs applied by brush, or alternatively the artist will paint her Jilamara (body designs) on canvas with her finger as was the case before European arrival.

Collections Flinders University Art Museum (FUAM), Adelaide, SA, Australia.

Awards 2003 2000 1998

Finalist – 20th Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award Museum and Art Gallery of Northern Territory (MAGNT), NT, Australia. Art of Place: National Indigenous Heritage Art Award - The Australian Heritage Commission, Canberra, ACT, Australia. Art of Place: National Indigenous Heritage Art Award - The Australian Heritage Commission, Canberra, ACT, Australia.

Selected Group Exhibitions 2017 Kiripapuranjuwi (Skilful Hands) - ReDot Fine Art Gallery, Singapore. 2016 Point of Difference – Desert to Sea - Artitja Fine Art, Perth, WA, Australia. 2015 Ngawa munupula/Ngawa Kiripapiranjuwi (New Paintings from Munupi Art on the Tiwi Islands) - Outstation Gallery, Darwin, NT, Australia. 2014 THE TIWI: Art from Jilamara & Munupi Art Centres - Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection, Charlottesville, VA, USA. 2013 One Night Only – Victorian Women’s Legal Aid Show - 45 Downstairs Gallery, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.


2013 Yikwani Munupi – Mossenson Galleries (formerly Indigenart), Perth, WA, Australia. Nginingawula Munupi Jilamara: Our paintings from Munupi - Galerie Zadra (formerly Marshall Arts), Adelaide, SA, Australia. 2012 Tiwi Tradition – Munupi Artists of Melville Island - Artitja Fine Art, Fremantle, WA, Australia. 2011 Nginingawila Kurrujipini (Our Colour) - Tiwi Art Network, Darwin, NT, Australia. Tiwi Temptations - Art Mob, Hobart, TAS, Australia. Tiwi Island Art - Aranda Aboriginal Art, Melbourne, VIC, Australia. Painting & Pottery from Munupi & Ernabella - Kerrie Lowe Gallery, Sydney, NSW, Australia. Munupi Artists of Melville Island - Artitja Fine Art, Fremantle, WA, Australia. 2010 Munupi Medley - Art Mob, Hobart, TAS, Australia. Munupi Arts - Qdos Gallery, Lorne, VIC, Australia. A 9x12” Coo-ee Christmas – Coo-ee Aboriginal Art Gallery, Sydney, NSW, Australia. 2006 Star Arts - Ambrose Consulting, Darwin, NT, Australia. Aboriginal Print Makers - Framed Art Gallery, Darwin, NT, Australia. 2005 Pukupunawu - Bandigan Art, Woollahra, NSW, Australia. 2004 Yirringirripwaja - Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne, VIC, Australia. 2003 Tayikuwapi – All Together - Mossenson Galleries, Perth, WA, Australia. Tokwapi Ngirramini - On Shore Art Gallery, Barwon Heads, VIC, Australia. 2002 Tokwapi Murrukapuni - Darwin Entertainment Centre, Darwin, NT, Australia. The Elements - Netanya Noosa, Noosa, QLD, Australia. Awana Mantawi – Hello Friends - Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute, Adelaide, SA, Australia. 2001 Tangini Art Show - Kormilda College, Darwin, NT, Australia. Tokumpini - Mossenson Galleries (formerly Indigenart), Perth, WA, Australia. Tracking Kultja Festival - National Museum of Australia (NMA), Canberra, ACT, Australia. 1998 United Nations, Geneva, Switzerland. Walonia Exhibition - Florence, Italy, Brussels, Belgium. 1997 Walonia Exhibition - Netherlands. 1995 ANIMA Gallery Exhibition - Adelaide Festival, Adelaide, SA, Australia. Sea Exhibition - Mossenson Galleries (formerly Indigenart), Perth, WA, Australia.



Diane TIPUNGWUTI Pwoja Jilamara Ochre on Linen 150 x 80cm 16-525

During ceremony on the Tiwi Islands, a series of yoi (dances) are performed; some are totemic (inherited from the person’s Mother) and some serve to act out the narrative of newly composed songs. Participants in these ceremonies are painted with turtiyanginari (the different natural ochre colours) in varying designs, transforming the dancers and, in some cases, providing protection against recognition by mapurtiti (spirits). These designs can be applied in different ways, one of which is using the pwoja (or kayimwagakimi), a traditional Tiwi ‘comb’ carved with a single row of teeth on one or both ends, usually made using ironwood or bloodwood. After being dipped in ochre and applied to the body a straight row of dots is imprinted. Once completed, these dots are then collectively called yirrinkiripwoja (body painting). Painting of the face also occurs. These significant artistic designs collectively are called Jilamara.



Diane TIPUNGWUTI Jilamara Design Ochre on Linen 90 x 70cm 16-206

During ceremony on the Tiwi Islands, a series of yoi (dances) are performed; some are totemic (inherited from the person’s mother) and some serve to act out the narrative of newly composed songs. Participants in these ceremonies are painted with turtiyanginari (the different natural ochre colours) in varying designs, transforming the dancers and, in some cases, providing protection against recognition by mapurtiti (spirits). These designs can be applied in different ways, one of which is using the finger, or in this case a brush. Ochre is also applied to the body and face. These significant artistic designs collectively are called Jilamara.



Diane TIPUNGWUTI Pwoja Jilamara Ochre on Canvas 100 x 50cm 16-385

During ceremony on the Tiwi Islands, a series of yoi (dances) are performed; some are totemic (inherited from the person’s Mother) and some serve to act out the narrative of newly composed songs. Participants in these ceremonies are painted with turtiyanginari (the different natural ochre colours) in varying designs, transforming the dancers and, in some cases, providing protection against recognition by mapurtiti (spirits). These designs can be applied in different ways, one of which is using the pwoja (or kayimwagakimi), a traditional Tiwi ‘comb’ carved with a single row of teeth on one or both ends, usually made using ironwood or bloodwood. After being dipped in ochre and applied to the body a straight row of dots is imprinted. Once completed, these dots are then collectively called yirrinkiripwoja (body painting). Painting of the face also occurs. These significant artistic designs collectively are called Jilamara.


Jane Margaret TIPUAMANTUMIRRI Birth Date Place of Birth Language Skin/Clan

1982 Bathurst Tiwi Takaringuwi (Scaly Mullet)

Jane Margaret Tipuamantumirri moved to Pirlangimpi in 2014 to live with her two sisters Simplicia and Pamela, who take care of her. Jane was working as an artist on Bathurst Island at the Ngaruwanajirri Inc before she moved to Munupi Arts. Jane Margaret gives great thought about her paintings before she does them. Painting has been her therapy, good for her hands and her mind. She also loves music and dancing. She likes her sister Simplicia to tell her cultural stories and after which she makes up her own ones too.

Collections Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education, Batchelor, NT, Australia. Charles Darwin University (CDU), Darwin, NT, Australia. University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW, Australia.

Selected Group Exhibitions 2017 Kiripapuranjuwi (Skilful Hands) - ReDot Fine Art Gallery, Singapore. 2016 Point of Difference – Desert to sea - Artitja Fina Art, Fremantle, WA, Australia. Ngawila Jilamara Exhibition - DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Esplanade Darwin, Darwin, NT, Australia. Spiritual Materialism - Ilena Tounta Art Centre, Athens, Greece. A Tiwi Trio - Art Mob, Hobart, TAS, Australia. 2015 Alfonso Puautjimi: Tiwi Artist - Aboriginal & Pacific Art, Sydney, NSW, Australia. 2013 Alfonso & Jane - Nomad Art, Darwin, NT, Australia. 2011 Ngaruwanajirri: Helping one another - Charles Darwin University Art Gallery, Darwin, NT, Australia. 2006 Ngaruwanajirri Group Exhibition - Darwin Festival, Darwin, NT, Australia.


2006 From the edge - Ivan Dougherty Gallery, Sydney, NSW, Australia. 2005 Ngaruwanajirri (Works on Paper) - Aboriginal & Pacific Art, Sydney, NSW, Australia. 2003 Artists in Residence Exhibition - Coomalie Culture Centre, Batchelor, NT, Australia. 2000 Good Food – Sea Food - Artback NT, Alice Springs, NT, Australia (Travelling Exhibition).



Jane Margaret TIPUAMANTUMIRRI Ampitji Ochre on Linen 120 x 80cm 15-442

This painting is about the rainbow serpent and the artist’s dance.



Jane Margaret TIPUAMANTUMIRRI Ampitji Ochre on Canvas 75 x 50cm 16-406

This painting is about the rainbow serpent and the artist’s dance.


Susan Wanji Wanji Painting the Bombing of Darwin Source: © Photo Courtesy of Munupi Arts


Susan WANJI WANJI Birth Date Place of Birth Language Skin/Clan

30 April 1955 Johnson Bay Tiwi Miyartinga (Pandanus)

Susan Wanji Wanji grew up in Maningrida and as a young girl learnt to make bark paintings and intricately woven mats and baskets. She is an exceptional weaver and Tunga (bark basket) craftsperson. She started working at Munupi Arts & Crafts (Yikikinni Women’s Centre) in 1990 and has since developed a unique style that has influence from both Tiwi and Arnhem Land cultures. In 1992, Susan travelled to Paris representing Munupi Arts and assisted with the hanging of the women’s centre exhibition. She works on linen and arches paper with natural ochres, along with limited edition lino prints and etchings. Her art is represented in many national as well as international collections.

Collections The Museum of Cultural History (University of Oslo), Oslo, Norway. Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia. Australian Embassy, Paris, France. Artbank Collection, Melbourne, VIC, Australia. Flinders University Art Museum (FUAM), Adelaide, SA, Australia. Australian National Maritime Museum (ANMM), Sydney, NSW, Australia. Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia. National Native Title Tribunal, Melbourne, VIC, Australia. APAMANA (Asia Pacific Arts) Foundation, Netherlands. Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia. Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia. Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA), Brisbane, QLD, Australia. Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT), Darwin, NT, Australia. Kaplan & Levi Collection, Seattle, WA, United States of America. Australian War Memorial, Canberra, ACT, Australia. The Arthur Roe Collection, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.


Awards 2013 2010 2009 2008

Preselected – 30th Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Island Art Award Museum & Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT), Darwin, NT, Australia. Finalist – 27th Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Island Art Award Museum & Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT), Darwin, NT, Australia. Preselected – 26th Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Island Art Award Museum & Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT), Darwin, NT, Australia. Preselected – Togart Contemporary Art Award - Chan Contemporary Art Space, Darwin, NT, Australia.

Selected Solo Exhibitions 2013 Susan Wanji Wanji Solo Exhibition - Merenda Gallery Fine Art, Fremantle, WA, Australia. 2009 Makatingarri (Running Water) - Karen Brown Gallery, Darwin, NT, Australia. 2007 Solo Exhibition - Karen Brown Gallery, Darwin, NT, Australia.

Selected Group Exhibitions 2017 Kiripapuranjuwi (Skilful Hands) - ReDot Fine Art Gallery, Singapore. 2016 Point of Difference – Desert to Sea - Artitja Fine Art, Perth, WA, Australia. Ngawila Jilamara Exhibition - DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Esplanade Darwin, Darwin, NT, Australia. Spiritual Materialism - Ilena Tounta Art Centre, Athens, Greece. Tiwi Mamirnikuwi Jilamara / Tiwi Women Painting - The Cross Art Projects, Kings Cross, NSW, Australia. 2015 Kuripapauranjuwi Ngini Ngawila Jilamara Kapi Ngawa Tiwi: We are the artists/ creators for our paintings - DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Esplanade Darwin, Darwin, NT, Australia. Ngawa munupula/Ngawa Kiripapiranjuwi (New Paintings from Munupi Art on the Tiwi Islands) - Outstation Gallery, Darwin, NT, Australia. 2014 WE ARE TIWI – Munupi Artists from Melville Island - Artitja Fina Art, Fremantle, WA, Australia. THE TIWI: Art from Jilamara & Munupi Art Centres - Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection, Charlottesville, VA, USA.


2013 Nginingawula Munupi Jilamara: Our paintings from Munupi - Galerie Zadra (formerly Marshall Arts), Adelaide, SA, Australia. Nga-wuja arungwapi – We are going forward - Tiwi Art Network, Darwin, NT, Australia. 2012 Parlini Amintiya Awirankini - Tiwi Art Network, Darwin, NT, Australia. Pattern & Palette - McCulloch & McCulloch, Shoreham, VIC, Australia. TIWI: ART/HISTORY/CULTURE (Book Launch) - Aboriginal & Pacific Art, Sydney, NSW, Australia. Dot to Dot - Art Mob, Hobart, TAS, Australia. Salt of the Earth: Indigenous Art from the Land - McCulloch & McCulloch (at Salt Contemporary Art), Queenscliff, VIC, Australia. Tiwi Tradition – Munupi Artists of Melville Island - Artitja Fine Art, Fremantle, WA, Australia. 2011 New Work from the Tiwi Islands - Art Equity, Sydney, NSW, Australia. International Grammar School Exhibition - Tali Gallery, Sydney, NSW We Paint the Stories of Our Culture - Museum of Cultural History (University of Oslo), Oslo, Norway. Nina Puruntatameri & Susan Wanji Wanji - Aboriginal & Pacific Art, Sydney, NSW, Australia. Nginingawila Kurrujipini (Our Colour) - Tiwi Art Network, Darwin, NT, Australia. Masterstroke - Harvison Gallery, Perth, WA, Australia. Munupi Artists of Melville Island - Artitja Fine Art, Fremantle, WA, Australia. Tiwi Island Art - Aranda Aboriginal Art, Melbourne, VIC, Australia. 2010 Treading Lightly - Tali Gallery, Sydney, NSW, Australia. Munupi Medley - Art Mob, Hobart, TAS, Australia. Munupi Arts - Hogarth Galleries, Sydney, NSW, Australia. Munupi Arts - Qdos Gallery, Lorne, VIC, Australia. A 9x12” Coo-ee Christmas – Coo-ee Aboriginal Art Gallery, Sydney, NSW, Australia. Critic’s Choice (Susan McCulloch’s Selection) - Art Mob, Hobart, TAS, Australia. Kumunupanari (Season of Smoke) - Tiwi Art Network, Darwin, NT, Australia. 2009 Ochre Imprints - Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute, Adelaide, SA, Australia. Mukumuwu – To Be Together - Tiwi Art Network, Darwin, NT, Australia. 2008 Ignite: St Ignatius Art Show, Adelaide, SA, Australia. Yirrajirrima murakupuni nginingaji ngawila pumpuni jilamara (Three countries, all of us, our good designs) - Tiwi Art Network, Darwin, NT, Australia. 2007 Tiwi Exhibition - Framed Art Gallery, Darwin, NT, Australia.


2007 Cross-section – a collection of prints from the stockroom - Northern Editions Gallery (Charles Darwin University), Darwin, NT, Australia. Above and Beyond - Caruana & Reid Fine Art, Elizabeth Bay NSW, Australia. Group Tiwi Show - Aboriginal & Pacific Art, Sydney, NSW, Australia. Three Tiwi Women - Suzanne O’Connell Gallery, Brisbane, QLD, Australia. 2006 25th Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award - Museum and Art Gallery of Northern Territory (MAGNT), NT, Australia. Star Arts - Ambrose Consulting, Darwin, NT, Australia. Aboriginal Print Makers - Framed Art Gallery, Darwin, NT, Australia. Green Turtle Dreaming - Cairns Regional Gallery & Darnley Island Cultural Centre, Cairns, QLD, Gab Titui Cultural Centre, Thursday Island, QLD, Geelong Gallery, Geelong, VIC, Australia (Touring Exhibition). Munupi Arts – Indigenous Etchings - KickArts Collective, Cairns, QLD, Australia. New Work from the Tiwi Islands - SoMA Galleries, Adelaide, SA, Australia. Yirrajirrima murrakupuni ngawurraningimarri - Tiwi Art Network, Darwin, NT, Australia. 2005 Green Turtle Dreaming - Museum of Perth & Gadfly Gallery, Perth, Museum of Geraldton, Geraldton, Kalgoorlie Museum, Kalgoorlie, WA, Australia, Sarawak State Museum, Kuching, Malaysia. Munupi Arts Show - Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne, VIC, Australia. Pukupunawu - Bandigan Art, Woollahra, NSW, Australia. Ngini Ngawula Ngiramini Amitiya Murakupuni - Northern Editions Gallery (Charles Darwin University), Darwin, NT, Australia. Indigenous Art Exhibition - Australian Embassy, Paris, France. Tiwi Art - Gadfly Gallery, Perth, WA, Australia. 2004 Salt & Stone: Art Centres of Arnhem Land & Tiwi - The Cross Art Projects, Sydney, NSW, Australia. Yirringirripwaja - Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne, VIC, Australia. Contexture (Textiles Exhibition) - Framed Art Gallery, Darwin, NT, Australia. Ironwood and Ochre - Raft Artspace, Darwin, NT, Australia. Two Decades of Munupi Prints - KickArts Contemporary Arts, Cairns, QLD, Australia. 2003 Tayikuwapi – All Together - Art Mob, Hobart, TAS, Australia. 1998 United Nations, Geneva, Switzerland. Walonia Exhibition - Florence, Italy, Brussels, Belgium. 1996 Munupi Tiwi Exhibition, Hong Kong National Aboriginal Heritage Exhibition - Parliament House, Canberra, ACT, Australia.


1994 Epama Epam!: Everything has meaning - Art Gallery of Greater Victoria (AGGV), Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. 1993 Stories - Kerava Art Museum, Karava, Rovaniemi Art Museum, Lapland, Finland 1991 10th Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award - Museum and Art Gallery of Northern Territory (MAGNT), NT, Australia.



Susan WANJI WANJI Tunga Ochre on Linen 120 x 80cm 16-535

This painting depicts a traditional Tiwi bark basket, used to carry food when out getting bush tucker.



Susan WANJI WANJI Jilamara Design Ochre on Linen 90 x 70cm 15-356

During ceremony on the Tiwi Islands, a series of yoi (dances) are performed; some are totemic (inherited from the person’s mother) and some serve to act out the narrative of newly composed songs. Participants in these ceremonies are painted with turtiyanginari (the different natural ochre colours) in varying designs, transforming the dancers and, in some cases, providing protection against recognition by mapurtiti (spirits). These designs can be applied in different ways, one of which is using the finger, or in this case a brush. Ochre is also applied to the body and face. These significant artistic designs collectively are called Jilamara.



Susan WANJI WANJI Jilamara Design Ochre on Linen 120 x 40cm 15-173

During ceremony on the Tiwi Islands, a series of yoi (dances) are performed; some are totemic (inherited from the person’s mother) and some serve to act out the narrative of newly composed songs. Participants in these ceremonies are painted with turtiyanginari (the different natural ochre colours) in varying designs, transforming the dancers and, in some cases, providing protection against recognition by mapurtiti (spirits). These designs can be applied in different ways, one of which is using the finger, or in this case a brush. Ochre is also applied to the body and face. These significant artistic designs collectively are called Jilamara.


Lisa WARLAPINNI Birth Date Place of Birth Language Skin/Clan

18 June 1971 Tiwi Miyartinga (Pandanus)

Lisa started painting in Pirlangimpi at Munupi Arts. Lisa does designs and uses the comb. She makes different shapes with the comb, starting with a diamond like the night sky. Lisa likes going hunting on the weekends with friends and family for mud mussels and pronga. Lisa likes drawing as well, which she does frequently at home.

Selected Group Exhibitions 2017 Kiripapuranjuwi (Skilful Hands) - ReDot Fine Art Gallery, Singapore.




Lisa WARLAPINNI Pwoja Jilamara Ochre on Canvas 90 x 70cm 16-580

During ceremony on the Tiwi Islands, a series of yoi (dances) are performed; some are totemic (inherited from the person’s Mother) and some serve to act out the narrative of newly composed songs. Participants in these ceremonies are painted with turtiyanginari (the different natural ochre colours) in varying designs, transforming the dancers and, in some cases, providing protection against recognition by mapurtiti (spirits). These designs can be applied in different ways, one of which is using the pwoja (or kayimwagakimi), a traditional Tiwi ‘comb’ carved with a single row of teeth on one or both ends, usually made using ironwood or bloodwood. After being dipped in ochre and applied to the body a straight row of dots is imprinted. Once completed, these dots are then collectively called yirrinkiripwoja (body painting). Painting of the face also occurs. These significant artistic designs collectively are calle Jilamara.


In collaboration with

Welcoming Dance at Pirlangimpi Source: Š Photo Courtesy of Munupi Arts


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