Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri
Anmatyerre / Arrernte people NT c.1933-2002
Altywepe 1987
Acrylic on linen
213.5 x 350.5 cm
BCEC Art Collection
Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri was a leading figure of the Papunya Tula art movement. Born at Napperby Station near Alice Springs, he transformed Western Desert painting through large scale, map like depictions of ancestral Dreaming tracks and became one of Australia’s most renowned painters.
Like many painters from Papunya, his paintings were defined by fine dots, precise lines and an informal symmetry to create dynamic narrative landscapes.
The central forms in this painting represent Altywepe, a plant which yields an edible seed, and a soakage that shares the same name, located to the east of Mount Allan.
The sections on the left and right illustrate the Yerrempe or Honey Ant Dreaming at Ngarlu, a site north of Mount Allan.
Altywepe can be viewed in Plaza Gallery.