|
|
In the six years Walala has been
painting, he has gained worldwide recognition, participating in several
national and international solo and group exhibitions. His paintings are
represented in private and public collections in Australia, Europe and
the U.S.A. Walala Tjapaltjarri was first
introduced to painting by his brother Warlimpirrnga, also a painter of
international acclaim. While Walala's first paintings were in a
classical Tingari style usually reserved for body painting, ground
painting and the decoration of traditional artifacts, within a couple of
months of painting he evolved his own innovative style of work. He began
abstracting the classical Pintupi designs, creating a highly graphic
language to speak of his country and ceremonial sites. The rectangles so
prominent in his paintings form both a physical and spiritual map
establishing Walala as a discerning draughtsman for his ancient country.
In was in late 1984, Walala and several other
members of the Pintupi Tribe walked out of the remote wilderness of the
Gibson Desert in Western Australia and made contact for the first time
with European society. Described as 'The Lost Tribe', he and his family
created international headlines. Until that day in 1984, Walala and his
family lived the traditional and nomadic life of a hunter-gatherer
society. Their intimate knowledge of the land, its flora and fauna and
waterholes allowed them to survive, as their ancestors had for thousands
of years.
It is this sacred landscape with its
significant sites that Walala so strikingly describes in his paintings.
His style is strongly gestural and boldly graphic, one that is generally
highlighted by a series of rectangles set against a monochrome
background. He paints the Tingari Cycle (a series of sacred and secret
mythological song cycles) which are associated with the artist's many
dreaming sites - they are Wilkinkarra, Maruwa, Tarrku, Njami and
Yarrawangu, to name a few. These Dreamings are the locations of
significant rockholes, sandhills, sacred mountains and water soakages in
the Gibson Desert.
Walala Tjapaltjarri - Tingari Cycle
During the Tjukurrpa (Creation Era)
Tingari ancestors beings gathered at a series of sites for
Malliera (Initiation) Ceremonies. They traveled vast stretches of
the country, performing rituals at specific sites that in turn created
the diverse natural features of the environment. The Tingari men
were accompanied by novices and usually followed by Tingari
Women. The creation stories and rituals are venerated in the song cycles
and ceremonies of today, forming part of the teachings of the post
initiatory youths, whilst also providing explanations for contemporary
customs.
Walala Tjapaltjarri uses a highly personalised
and minimal style to represent aspects of the sacred Tingari
Cycle, an epic journey of Ancestors of the TJukurrpa (Creation
Era). He paints aspects of the Tingari Cycle which are associated with
the artist’s many sacred sites – such as Wilkinkarra, Maruwa, Tarrku,
Njami and Yarrawangu, to name a few. These are locations of significant
rockholes, sandhills, sacred mountains and water soakages in the Gibson
Desert.
|
