Kapi Tjukurrpa - 499-18

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A$170

Artwork Details

Medium Acrylic (Requires Framing)
Dimensions 30cm (W) x 30cm (H) x 0.5cm (D)
Review Stars 21,229 Customer Reviews

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Artwork Description

This painting tells a Kapi Tjukurrpa (water dreaming) story of Wantupunyu. Wantupunyu is Punni's grandfather's Country and the site is to the north of Papunya and west of the sacred mountain Karinyarra. Punni leant to paint this story from her Mother's paintings, Isobel Gorey Nambajimba, who is a prolific painter and a director at Papunya Tjupi.

Water dreaming sites are important for the regeneration of nature. The water makes the country green and brings a lot of 'bush tucker' foods for the people and the animals. The heavy rain usually comes in the summer time. When the lightening can be seen at a distance, the elders will start singing to the lightening, encouraging it to bring more rain to replenish the land. In her paintings, Puuni depicts lightening, rainbows, puddles and bush flowers.

In this painting the central shapes are important water or rock hole site. The lines represent the elements of a storm - wind, rain, thunderclouds and lightning. The patterns represent rain and water flowing from the waterholes and flooding the usually dry creek beds.

Artist Bio

Puuni was born out bush, at Karrinyarra, in 1979. Her mother, Isobel Gorey, had gone on a trip from Papunya to pick yalka (bush onion). Isobel gave birth to Puuni at Karrinyarra and then Puuni and Isobel drove to Yuendumu where they were flown to Alice Springs. Isobel is a Luritja woman and Puuni's father is a Warlpiri man. Puuni grew up in Papunya and attended Papunya school. Puuni is a mother and has three children who live in Kirrikurra, WA. When spending time with her family at Kirrikurra Puuni began to paint at the Women's Centre. Puuni was mentored by an older woman at the Women's centre who has since passed away. Since then, Puuni has returned to Papunya and had another little girl, May. Puuni now spends her time at Papunya Tjupi. Puuni says she has spent many hours watching her mother Isobel paint and has continued to learn from her. Puuni is an emerging talent at Papunya Tjupi and continues to reinvent her Mother's Tjukurrpa.