“When I paint I feel happy, I don’t feel sick, I don’t feel any pain. I feel strong and healthy, like I am a young girl again. I used to paint one way. Black one for Tjukurrpa (dreaming), white one, yellow one. But I’m getting old now. I wanted to mix it up. I was watching the other women I sit with – Kawayi Nampitjinpa, Mary Anne Nampitjinpa and my sister Wintjiya Napaltjarri. They use all those different colours – purple, pink, red, blue, orange. I use those colours now. All different colours, mixing it up. I’m old now and want to paint a new way.”
Tjunkiya Napaltjarri was a prominent Australian painter and key figure in the Western Desert art movement. Born near Kiwirrkura in Western Australia, she was a member of the Pintupi people, whose rich cultural heritage profoundly influenced her art.
Raised in the traditional customs and nomadic lifestyle of her people, Napaltjarri learned Dreamtime stories and cultural practices, which became the foundation of her artistic expression. These stories, conveying the spiritual beliefs and ancestral history of the Pintupi, were integral to her identity and creative output.
In the early 1980s, she joined the Papunya Tula Artists cooperative, which played a crucial role in developing contemporary Indigenous Australian art. Napaltjarri quickly gained recognition for her distinctive style, translating complex traditional stories into vibrant, intricate paintings. Her work often depicted sacred sites, waterholes, and ancestral journeys, blending traditional symbolism with contemporary aesthetics.
Her paintings were celebrated in numerous exhibitions and collected by major galleries, including the National Gallery of Australia and the Art Gallery of New South Wales. As a respected elder, she was committed to preserving and teaching the cultural heritage of the Pintupi people. Tjunkiya Napaltjarri passed away in 2009, leaving a lasting legacy through her evocative and powerful art.