Tjunkiya was born in Rapalangya, northwest of the community of Kintore, around 1930, and was the third wife of Turkey Tolson's father. She later moved to Haasts Bluff with her husband, and then to the Papunya community when it was established. She was involved in the joint Kintore/Haasts Bluff project, which marked the beginning of her career, but she now paints solely for Papunya Tula. In 1999, Tjunkiya helped paint the women of Kintore as part of the Western Desert Dialysis Appeal. Tjunkiya passed away in Alice Springs in April 2009. Tjunkiya Napaltjarri's striking paintings reveal shapes when colour is scraped from the surface, a method unique among Papunya Tula artists, and shared only by Johnny Yungut Tjupurrula.
Collections:
- National Gallery of Australia, Sydney, Australia
- Araluen Collection, Alice Springs, Australia
- Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
- Campbelltown City Art Gallery, Sydney, Australia
- Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin, Australia
- National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia
- Supreme Court of the Northern Territory, Darwin, Australia
- Artbank, Melbourne, Australia
- Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, USA. |
MY SELECTION OF WORKS
