Nyilyari Tjapangati - 2023 - Scott Livesey Galleries

N Y I LYA R I

T J A PA N G AT I

N Y I LYA R I T J A PA N G AT I

IN ASSOCIATION WITH PA P U N YA T U L A A RT I S T S

PAPUNYA TULA ARTISTS

The Papunya Tula Art Movement began in 1971 when a school teacher, Geoffrey Bardon, encouraged some of the men from the Papunya community to paint a mural on a blank school wall. The mural sparked tremendous interest in the community and soon many of the senior men started painting. In 1972 the artists successfully established their own company.

The company is entirely owned and directed by traditional Aboriginal people from the Western Desert, predominantly of the Luritja/Pintupi language groups. It has 50 shareholders and now represents approximately 120 artists.

The Australian government established the Papunya settlement as an administrative centre for the Aboriginal people who had moved in from the desert. Since then many Pintupi and Luritja people have moved back to their homelands and continue their strong ceremonial tie to the land.

The company, initially based in the Papunya area, has met the challenges posed by the homelands movement and now extends its operations into Western Australia, covering a distance up to 700km west of Alice Springs.

The Papunya Tula painting style derives directly from the artists’ knowledge of traditional body and sand painting designs associated with ceremony. Since the beginning of the movement the artists have removed sacred symbols and certain traditional designs from their paintings so that these ancestral stories can be displayed to the public.

The work of the Papunya Tula artists is highly regarded and the standard of the work and its unmistakable and powerful style has resulted in the Papunya Tula artists being represented in public galleries, major museums and many large private collections within Australia and internationally.

The aim of the company is to promote individual artists, provide economic development for the communities to which they belong, and assist in the maintenance of a rich cultural heritage.

Papunya Tula Artists Founders of the Central and Western Desert Art Movement

NYILYARI TJAPANGATI

Nyilyari Tjapangati is a man of few words. Singular in nature and in practice, he stands apart both in the Papunya Tula Artists roster and in the remote community of Walungurru (Kintore NT), where I have had the immense pleasure of working both for, and alongside over the past 18 months.

Born in 1964 as the second son of revered Papunya Tula artist, Pinta Pinta Tjapanangka, Nyilyari has spent much of his life between Walungurru, Kiwirrkura and the sites of Wilkinkarra (Lake Mackay) and Kaakuratintja (Lake MacDonald). Though not the most productive painter in terms of sheer output - and indeed, the paintings presented here embody nearly his entire output over the last two years - Nyilyari paints with a confidence and determination exemplified by only the most senior Papunya Tula artists.

In the Kintore studio, where he attends most days, Nyilyari cuts a dashing figure with his bum bag and cowboy hat, calmly smoking a cigarette and surveying the chaos unfolding around him. Largely non-verbal following a stroke some years ago, Nyilyari lacks the volume that normally secures a place on the painting roster on any given day. His decision to paint is so rare that myself and my colleagues drop everything when he gestures towards a canvas and makes the dipping hand motion that symbolises a desire to paint that day.

This is not to romanticise Nyilyari’s silence, however - the man is quick to excite when he mentions art workers distant or old, or become outraged at the proximity of a dog, child or dissatisfaction with colour.

Distinctive in both his unique use of symbols, the diamond-shaped rockhole and interlocking key, and his wielding of a brush instead of a watiya, Nyilyari attends to his painting with the utmost faith in his ability. While Papunya Tula works are (in)famous for their shimmering quality, particularly by the male artists, this is a movement back and forth – a wiggling of sorts. Nyilyari’s work is instead painting of great depth. He fills the segments on his canvas, working inwards from the perimeter.

This quasi-circular motion results in a mark-making that is simultaneously hypnotic and soothing.

Often, however, Nyilyari shows up and doesn’t paint.

Instead, he lets himself inside our house, where there is always a Fanta in the fridge for him, some noodles, a Hawthorn game on TV and an empty couch, where he can spend the day in relative peace and quiet, confident in his position as number one Western Desert.

Jaxon Waterhouse Field Worker, Papunya Tula Artists

UNTITLED 2022

PA P U N YA T U L A A R T I S T S c a t . N T 2 2 0 5 0 9 9 acrylic on Belgian linen 107 x 91 cm

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UNTITLED 2022 PA P U N YA T U L A A R T I S T S c a t . N T 2 2 1 1 0 4 3

UNTITLED 2023 PA P U N YA T U L A A R T I S T S c a t . N T 2 3 0 7 0 2 3

UNTITLED 2023 PA P U N YA T U L A A R T I S T S c a t . N T 2 3 0 5 1 6 5

acrylic on Belgian linen 107 x 28 cm (each)

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UNTITLED 2022

PA P U N YA T U L A A R T I S T S c a t . N T 2 2 0 5 0 3 9 acrylic on Belgian linen 91 x 61 cm

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UNTITLED 2022

PA P U N YA T U L A A R T I S T S c a t . N T 2 2 1 2 0 1 9 acrylic on Belgian linen 91 x 61 cm

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UNTITLED 2023

PA P U N YA T U L A A R T I S T S c a t . N T 2 3 0 6 1 0 4 acrylic on Belgian linen 91 x 91 cm

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UNTITLED 2023 PA P U N YA T U L A A R T I S T S c a t . N T 2 3 0 7 0 8 9 UNTITLED 2022 PA P U N YA T U L A A R T I S T S c a t . N T 2 2 0 8 0 1 5

UNTITLED 2023 PA P U N YA T U L A A R T I S T S c a t . N T 2 3 0 7 0 4 2

acrylic on Belgian linen 61 x 55 cm (each)

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UNTITLED 2023

PA P U N YA T U L A A R T I S T S c a t . N T 2 3 0 5 0 9 8 acrylic on Belgian linen 122 x 91 cm

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UNTITLED 2023 PA P U N YA T U L A A R T I S T S c a t . N T 2 3 0 3 0 3 2

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acrylic on Belgian linen 87 x 28 cm (each)

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UNTITLED 2023

PA P U N YA T U L A A R T I S T S c a t . N T 2 3 0 8 1 1 5 acrylic on Belgian linen 153 x 122 cm

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UNTITLED 2022 PA P U N YA T U L A A R T I S T S c a t . N T 2 2 1 1 0 4 2 46 x 38 cm

UNTITLED 2022 PA P U N YA T U L A A R T I S T S c a t . N T 2 2 1 1 0 9 3 61 x 31 cm

acrylic on Belgian linen (each)

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NYILYARI TJAPANGATI

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PINTUPI

Nyilyari is the second son of the well known artist Pinta Pinta Tjapanangka and the younger brother of Matthew Tjapangati.

He was born in approximately 1965. Nyilyari completed his first paintings for Papunya Tula Artists as early as 1999 but didn’t begin painting regularly for the company until 2004. His paintings relate to sites around Kaakuratintja (Lake MacDonald) and west to Mt Webb and Wilkinkarra (Lake Mackay).

These are all sites that were also commonly referred to in his father’s paintings.

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS: 2004 2005 2005 2005 2005 2005 2005 2005 2006 2006 2006 2006 2006 2006 2006 2006 2006 2007 2007 2007 2007 2007 2008 2008 2008 2009 2009 2009 2009 2009 2009 2009 2009 2009 2009 2009 2009 2009 2009 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010

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‘Pintupi Artists’, Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia.

‘Papunya Tula Artists’, Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

‘Rising Stars’, Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

The Desert Mob Art Show, Araluen Art Centre, Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia.

‘Pintupi Art 2005’, Tony Bond Aboriginal Art Dealer, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.

‘New Work For A New Space’, Utopia Art Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

‘Pintupi Artists’, Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia.

‘New Works From The Western Desert’, Indigenart, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.

‘Across The Board’, Utopia Art Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

‘Papunya Tula Artists 2006’, Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

‘Right Here, Right Now: Recent Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Acquisitions’, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.

‘PTA’, Utopia Art Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

‘Pintupi’, Hamiltons Gallery, London, United Kingdom.

Papunya Tula Artists - Recent Paintings’, Harriet Place, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.

‘Rising Stars’, Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

‘A Particular Collection’, Utopia Art Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

‘Yawulyurru kapalilu palyara nintilpayi’, Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia.

‘Survey-Group show of emerging artists’, Raft Artspace, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.

‘Recent Paintings 2007’, Cross Cultural Art Exchange, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.

‘Rising Stars’, Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

The Desert Mob Art Show, Araluen Art Centre, Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia.

‘Pintupi – Mixed Exhibition’, Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia.

‘Pintupi Art 2008’, Tony Bond Aboriginal Art Dealer, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.

‘Kintore to Kiwirrkura - Papunya Tula Artists’, Red Dot Gallery, Singapore.

‘Marrkangku Yara Palyantjaku Ngurrangka - Making Strong Paintings At Home’, Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia.

‘Papunya 2009, Senior Pintupi Artists’, Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

‘Pro Community – Papunya Tula Artists’, Kunstwerk, Ebergingen-Nussdorf, Germany.

Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair, The Chan Building, Bennett Park Darwin, Australia.

‘26th Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award,’ Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.

‘Painting the Country’, Cross Cultural Art Exchange, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.

TogArt Contemporary Art Award, Darwin Convention Centre, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.

‘Desert Mob 2009’, Araluen Art Centre, Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia.

‘Nganana Tjungurringanyi Tjukurrpa Nintintjakitja - We Are Here Sharing Our Dreaming’, 80 Washington Square East Galleries, New York, USA. ‘Pintupi 2009’, Tony Bond Aboriginal Art Dealer, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.

‘Pro Community – Papunya Tula Artists’, ArtBar71, Berlin, Germany.

‘Pro Community – Papunya Tula Artists’, VDMA, Frankfurt, Germany.

‘Pro Community – Papunya Tula Artists’, Artkelch, Freiburg, Germany.

‘Nganampatju Kanpatja Winki, Nganampatju Yara Winkii – All Our Paintings, All Our Stories’, Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia.

‘Tjukurrpa Palurukutu, Kutjupawana Palyantjanya – Same Stories, A New Way’, Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia.

‘Tradition & Innovation - Papunya Tula 2010’, Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

‘Aboriginal Art 2010’, Scott Livesey Galleries, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair, Darwin Convention Centre, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.

‘27th Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award’, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.

‘Wilkinkarralakutu - Journeys To Lake Mackay’, Cross Cultural Art Exchange, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.

The Desert Mob Art Show, Araluen Art Centre, Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia.

‘Recent Paintings’ Chapman Gallery, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.

‘Community’, Utopia Art Sydney, Utopia Art Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

‘Papunya Tula Artists: Art of the Western Desert, Harvey Art Projects USA, Sun Valley, Idaho, USA ‘Ngurra Kutju Ngurrara - Belonging To One Country’, ReDot Gallery, Singapore.

‘Nyakula Kanyini Piintapalyalpayi Kamu Walytja Tjanampa Lurrtju - Caring For Artists And Their Families’, Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia.

2011 2011 2011 2011 2011 2011 2011 2011 2011 2011 2011 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2013 2013 2013 2013 2013 2013 2013 2015 2015 2015 2016 2016 2017 2018 2018 2019 2019 2020 2021 2021 2021 2022

Art Karlsruhe 2011, Karlsruhe, Germany.

‘Revival in Small’, Artkelch, Freiburg, Germany.

‘40 Years of Papunya Tula Artists’, Utopia Art Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

‘Pintupi Art 2011’, A P Bond Gallery, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.

Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair, Darwin Convention Centre, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.

Western Australian Indigenous Art Awards, Art Gallery Of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.

‘Desert Mob 2011’, Araluen Art Centre, Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia.

‘Pintupi Trails 2011’, Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

‘Pintupi Men’, ReDot Gallery, Singapore.

‘Australia in Two Colours’, Artkelch Collectors Lounge, Schorndorf, Germany.

‘Recent Pintupi Works’, Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia.

‘Forty Years of Papunya Tula Artists’, Harvey Art Projects USA, Sun Valley, Idaho, USA. ‘Visual Rhythm’, Cross Cultural Art Exchange, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.

‘Desert Mob 2012’, Araluen Arts Centre, Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia.

‘Tjukurrpa Ngaatjanya Maru Kamu Tjulkura - Dreaming In Black And White’, ReDot Gallery, Singapore.

‘PTA 40th Anniversary Show’, Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia.

‘Unique Perspectives – Papunya Tula Artists And The Alice Springs Community’, Araluen Arts Centre, Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia.

‘Community IV’ – Celebrating Forty Years Of Papunya Tula Artists, Utopia Art Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

‘Papunya Tula: Works On Paper’, Art Gallery Of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.

‘Travelling Through Country’, Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

‘Painting Now – Papunya Tula Artists’, Utopia Art Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

‘30th Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award’, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.

‘Language Of The Land’, Paul Johnstone Gallery, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.

‘Recent Works’, Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia.

‘Community V’, Utopia Art Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

‘Papunya Tula Artists – Masters Of The Western Desert Of Australia’, Harvey Art Projects USA, Sun Valley, Idaho, USA. ‘Papunya Tula Artists – Indigenous Paintings From Australia’s Western Desert’, Brumby Ute Gallery, Aspen, Colorado, USA. ‘Off Course’, Brussels Art Fair, Brussels, Belgium.

‘Community VII’, Utopia Art Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

‘Tjukurrmanu Maru & Tjulkura – Dreaming In Black & White’, Paul Johnstone Gallery, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.

‘Aux origines de l’art’, Aboriginal Signature – Estrangin Gallery, Brussels, Belgium.

‘Community VIII’, Utopia Art Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

‘Pintupi – Paintings From The Masters Of The Western Desert’, Harvey Art Projects USA, Sun Valley, Idaho, USA. ‘Community IX’, Utopia Art Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

‘Am Anfang War Das Land - In The Beginning Was The Land’, Kunstwerk, Sammlung Klein, Eberdingen-Nussdorf, Germany.

‘Community X’, Utopia Art Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

‘Community XI’, Utopia Art Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

‘Papunya: 50 years 1971-2021’, S.H. Ervin Gallery, Sydney, NSW, Australia.

‘Irrititja Kuwarri Tjungu (Past & Present Together): 50 Years Of Papunya Tula Artists’, Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection, University Of Virginia, USA. ‘Community XII – 50 Years Of Papunya Tula Artists’, Utopia Art Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

‘Tjukurrtjanu Irriţitja Tjunta – Belonging to the Dreaming for a long time’, Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia.

COLLECTIONS: Araluen Art Centre National Gallery of Australia Art Gallery of New South Wales National Gallery of Victoria Art Gallery of South Australia Harvard Art Museum, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA Toledo Musuem of Art, Toledo, Ohio, USA Kluge Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, USA

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Nyilyari Tjapangati G r a n t Ru n d e l l Gretel Bull J a x o n Wa t e r h o u s e Shelley Best Susie Bowie

image: courtesy Papunya Tula Artists Pty Ltd

Simon Strong

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Scott Livesey Galleries acknowledges the First Nations People and we pay our respect to their Elders - past, present and future.

We recognise that sovereignty was never ceded.

ISBN |

978-0-6454880-7-4 © copyright 2023

Catalogue compiled by Scott Livesey & Sophie Foley

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