GEORGE TJUNGURRAYI
George 'Hairbrush' Tjungurrayi (b. circa 1943)
Untitled, 2017
46 x 38cm. Acrylic on linen canvas.
ARTIST
Born near Kiwirrkura in a remote part of the Gibson Desert in Western Australia, Tjungurrayi came in from the desert by way of Mount Doreen and Yuendumu in the early 1970s and started painting at West Camp at Papunya with Papunya Tula Artists in 1976. Adapting traditional Tingari style, Tjungurrayi began exploring the abstract use of optical stripes for which he is now recognised.
Tjungurrayi is one of Papunya's most sought after artists, and In 2003 he was voted as one of the "50 Most Collectable Artists" by Australian Art Collector magazine.
PAINTING
This painting depicts designs associated with the claypan site of Kirrimalunya, north of Wilkinkarra (Lake Mackay) in Western Australia.
In ancestral times two young ngangkaris, or traditional healers, lived at this site and travelled great distances to use their healing powers.