JOHN TJAPALTJARRI - AT THE SITE OF PUTANTJA
JOHN TJAPALTJARRI
AT THE SITE OF PUTANTJA, 1991
152.5 x 91.5 cm
Synthetic Polymer Paint on Belgian Linen
REGION
West Desert, NT
PROVENANCE
Papunya Tula Artists, JT911030
Contemporary Australian Visions, VIC
Cooee Art Leven, NSW
STORY
In this very traditional design of roundels and adjoining lines, the artist depicts the ancient mythological subject of the Tingari Cycle. It was at the site of Putantja, north-west of Tjukula in Western Australia, where many rockholes exist, symbolised by the small and large roundels that the Tingari Men ancestors gathered after having travelled west from Lampintja.
Generally, the Tingari are a group of mythical characters of the Dreaming, who travelled over vast stretches of the country, performing rituals and creating and shaping particular sites. The Tingari men were usually followed by Tingari women and accompanied by novices and their travels and adventures are enshrined in a number of song cycles. These mythologies form part of the teachings of the post-initiatory youths today as well as providing explanations for contemporary customs.
ARTIST PROFILE