Warlimpirrnga Tjapaltjarri, an artist whose work is currently being displayed for the first time at the Salon 94 gallery in New York City, is not your typical small town artist looking for fame. In fact, until he was in his 20s, Mr. Tjapaltjarri belonged to the Pintupi Aboriginal group, in a West Australian desert. When the Pintupi were forced to move into settlements in the 1950s and 1960s, his family remained out of view, “hunting lizards and wearing no clothes except for human-hair belts”. In 1984, Mr. Tjapaltjarri and his family were discovered and moved into a Pintupi community. They were a sensation in the news, known as the Pintupi Nine, the last “lost tribe.”
Mr. Tjapaltjarri
Mr. Tjapaltjarri took on painting with his two brothers, modifying traditional designs that Pintupi men used on rocks, spears, and bodies. As a healer and keeper of ancestral stories among the Pintupi people, Mr. Tjapaltjarri captures the history of the natives in his art. His abstract style, which has made him famous in the Desert Painting Movement, is seen as unique and fascinating to many. Jeanne Greenberg Rohatyn, the owner of the Salon 94 gallery, said that she first saw Mr. Tjapaltjarri’s work in the remarkable Documenta exhibition in Kassel, Germany, in 2012, and his paintings stood out the most. “I also loved the fact that this abstraction had another kind of abstraction behind it — at least abstraction to us, because we’ll never be able to understand these stories in the way they do,” she said. “And I thought that they looked so contemporary at a time when abstraction is being practiced by so many New York artists.”
The Central and Western Desert in black and white.
The unusual history behind Mr. Tjapaltjarri’s art is what makes it so exceptional. Every painting has a story behind it, although not every story is revealed to the public. The way the artwork tells a story has remained a secret. Fred R. Myers, an anthropologist at New York University who has studied the Pintupi and their art since the early 1970s, says, “I’ve been asking that question for 40 years, and I’ve never really gotten the same answer twice — it’s very inside knowledge, the paintings operate more like mnemonic devices than like representations of a narrative.”
The Gibson Desert, Mr. Tjapaltjarri’s current home.
Regardless of his growing fame, Mr. Tjapaltjarri will always be an important figure among the Pintupi people. In Kiwirrkurra, the community where he lives in the Gibson Desert, he is well respected for his knowledge and experience. His artwork tells the mythical stories about the Pintupi people as well as about the formation of the desert. For example, one of his paintings, which may simply look like lines and curves, tells the story of a group of ancestral women who appear only at night in the desert around Lake Mackay, an immense saltwater flat that is the main focus of his paintings. His art has a deeper meaning, one that may or may not be understood by everyone, but holds a place in the hearts of the Pintupi.
I really enjoyed reading about this artist, Mr. Tjapaltjarri, who also comes from a very interesting background. If I ever took the time to look at his artwork and examine them closely, I definitely would be very confused and perplexed of what was I seeing. It’s hard to imagine that squiggly lines or other abstract art could have so much meaning behind it and tell a story.
Its always interesting how art can tell a story, and Mr. Tjapaltjarri has (as you said) a very unusual history that makes his artwork so different and unique. Most of the time, artists won’t share the story with their audience, and instead leave it up to them to decipher. I think he goes to great lengths about keeping it a “mystery”, especially since he even has artwork that he hasn’t titled!! Usually titles would be a huge hint in helping connect the artwork to the story (or at least give context to the art), but I find it interesting that he chose to not to share such information on some of his pieces!
I’ve always been really intrigued by folklore and how they explain how the earth came to be. I like how Tjapaltjarri integrated his role as a healer and keeper of ancestral stories into his art. As a way he is using his art to practice these two roles. The art that he creates is very calming and soothing to look at. At the same time it also tells a story that not everyone will understand by just looking at it. The background that Tjapaltjarri came from definitely gave more depth to his artworks.
I feel that indigenous art is in short supply, which makes the appreciation of it bitter-sweet. And the fact that Tjapaltjarri spent even a faction of his life as a genuine tribe member, before being moved to a reservation, is unfathomable. It seems as though Native American culture has been limited into fenced territories all over the country. So it’s awe-inspiring that there was still indigenous societies thriving on their own. The art that derived from this society must be distinct, for the culture itself is unique. Each culture is formed on the basis of fundamental beliefs and stories. And this is always visible in the cultural artwork. However, when we study cultural artwork, it usually seems to be a study of history. But Tjapaltjarri provides modern cultural studies through impressive and distinct artwork. And to know that each scene expresses layers of culture of a people that have existed for longer than the lineage of most American citizens, is exciting.
I really enjoyed reading about an artist who is so in touch with his culture. It’s really amazing how he was completely cut off from civilization for so long, which allowed him to develop a very specific style. Unlike most contemporary artists, Warlimpirrnga Tjapaltjarri does not try to appeal to pop culture, he explores his own roots and ancestry, which I find very inspiring.
I find Mr. Tjapaltjarri’s art a fascinating lens into a culture foreign to me. When I think of a desert, I think of a barren wasteland with no ability to sustain life, yet that is exactly what Mr. Tjapaltjarri calls home. The thin line between life and death in a desert must make for extreme inspiration that I can only imagine of. His abstract paintings of the desert reveal that there is more to the sand than what meets the eye. There is a chaotic balance that sustains life and allows the Pintupi to call that extreme environment their home.
I enjoyed your article very much. As you say, our society is one of abstract arts and Mr.Tjapaltjarri’s art is shown to be similar. Despite one’s original analysis of his paintings, like ones of people and landscapes, his artworks also paint a picture. I strongly agree when you say that behind every picture there is a story, and what better example than this article about Mr.Tjapaltjarri’s works. He has preserved traditions and has lived a life that is uneffected by modern art, yet he creates such exquisite pieces that we may see as modern art. Your article is very interesting and brings up a great point on how there is always more to a story, that behind every painting is a story
To know that this artist grew from his roots upward is inspiring. He is a hero for his people but also an idol to everyone. Culture can have a huge influence on an individuals life but oftentimes it gets lost as one leaves their origins. But, thankfully, Tjapaltjarri was able to maintain his culture through his ‘fame’. Also, the fact that much of Mr. Tjapaltjarri’s can really be interpreted only by those who understand where he comes from but it can also be enjoyed by those who don’t makes it so diverse and universally flattering. I feel like he is sharing little pieces of him with the world…