Paddy Carroll Tjungurrayi
Warlpiri/Anmatyerre people NT c.1927-2002
Yarrungkanyi 1987
Acrylic on linen
210.5 x 462 cm
BCEC Art Collection
Paddy Carroll Tjungurrayi was a senior Warlpiri artist and respected lawman, born at Yarrungkanyi in the Western Desert. After serving in the Australian Army during the Second World War and working for many years as a stockman, he began painting at Papunya in the late 1970s.
Renowned for his large-scale works, Tjungurrayi brought together ancestral storylines with vibrant dotted designs, creating dynamic landscapes that trace the journeys of great ancestors.
As the associated narratives are restricted, paintings of the site focus on the pathways of travelling ancestors, evoking movement, rhythm and ceremony without revealing specific cultural knowledge.
Yarrungkanyi can be viewed on Plaza Level.