​Ungakini Tjangala, Untitled 2003 Linocut Paper size 56 x 38cm, Image 30x52cm

This limited edition linocut, Untitled 2003 Linocut, 30x52cm, Paper size 56 x 38cm is signed Ungokini, edition 5/40.

Ungakini Tjangala (born 1934, Blackstone, Western Australia) is a respected Indigenous Australian artist who has lived and worked at Ernabella (Pukatja, South Australia) for much of her life. As a young woman, she moved with her family to the Ernabella Mission, becoming part of the early foundations of the community and its art centre, where creative practice was embedded in daily life.

Ungakini began her artistic career in the Ernabella craft room, producing woven rugs and developing strong skills in fibre work. She became particularly known for her tjanpi(spinifex grass) sculptures and figures, as well as her finely crafted mukata(emu feather beanies), works that reflect deep cultural knowledge, patience, and technical mastery of traditional materials.

In 2002, she began painting on canvas, marking a significant new phase in her artistic life. This transition into painting followed a period of profound personal loss, including the deaths of her husband and son in the early 2000s. Her work from this period onward carries a quiet strength and resilience, shaped by lived experience, cultural continuity, and enduring connection to Country.

Ungakini’s practice spans fibre art, sculpture, wearable forms, and painting, reflecting the holistic nature of Ernabella’s artistic traditions, where craft and fine art exist as part of a continuous cultural expression rather than separate disciplines. Her works are held in private collections and have appeared in auctions and exhibitions in Australia and internationally.