Yanjirlpirri Jukurrpa by Paddy Japaljarri Sims, 30x30cm

Paddy Japaljarri Sims (c. 1917–2010) was a significant Warlpiri artist and a founding member of Warlukurlangu Artists in Yuendumu, NT. Born at Kunajarrayi (Mt Nicker), he lived traditionally before working as a labourer and later became involved in farming and education, teaching Jukurrpa (Dreaming), hunting, and bush tucker at the Yuendumu school.

His Yanjirlpirri Jukurrpa (Star Dreaming) depicts the ceremonial journey of Japaljarri and Jungarrayi men from Kurlurngalinypa to Yanjirlpirri, where young boys from all over the vast Warlpiri homeland were brought for initiation.

The Yanjirlpirri site, west of Yuendumu, holds deep cultural significance, represented in Warlpiri art through traditional iconography, such as jinjirla (headbands), wooden star carvings, and sand paintings.

Paddy painted with Warlukurlangu Artists from 1985, exhibiting widely. In 1989, he travelled to Paris with five Warlpiri men to create a ground painting at the renowned Magiciens de la Terre exhibition at the Centre Georges Pompidou. He was also a key contributor to the Yuendumu Doors, later collaborating with Paddy Japaljarri Stewart on a set of 30 etchings, which won the Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award in 2001.

His Dreamings include Yiwarra (Milky Way), Ngarlkirdi/Warna (Witchetty Grub/Snake), Warlu Kukurrpa (Fire), and Yanjirlpirri (Star Dreaming). His early works featured blue, pink, and purple hues before evolving into a distinctive modern style with traditional iconography and a broader palette.

Paddy’s work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, including at The Asia Society Galleries (New York, 1988), the National Gallery of Victoria (1989), and Musée Fabre (France, 1990). His legacy continues through his contributions to Warlpiri art and culture.