Don Tjungarrayi
Warlpiri people NT 1939-2017
Three Caves at Witjiparraparri
Acrylic on linen
213 x 316 cm
BCEC Art Collection
Don Tjungarrayi is a Warlpiri/Luritja artist who began painting in the late 1970s. Born near Yuendumu and later based at Papunya, he is known for confident, graphic works depicting ceremonial and Ancestral narratives. In 1986 he won the Alice Springs Art Prize, and his work is held in major public collections. The feathery brushstrokes often used by Don Tjungarrayi allow the key elements of his Ancestral narratives to stand out from his intensely dotted landscapes.
Witjiparraparri is an important Ancestral site in Warlpiri Country, associated with Witchetty Grub Dreaming. Here, three caves are represented centrally, representing the holes these Ancestors created as they moved from subterranean tunnels to their journeys across the landscape.