MATTHEW WEST TJUPURRULA

Matthew is the son of Freddy West Tjakamarra, a former shareholder of Papunya Tula Arists and his mother is artist Payu Napaltjarri. He began painting in 2002.

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He lives with his wife and family at Kiwirrkurra Community in Western Australia.

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This painting depicts designs associated with the swamp and rockhole site of Palipalintjanya, just west of Juniper Well in Western Australia. This site is the artists grandfather’s country. In ancestral times a large group of Tingari men camped at this site before travelling south, then turning east, passing through Wala Wala and Kiwirrkura, and later north-east to Tarkul and Wilkinkarra (Lake Mackay).

 

The roundels in this painting represent the rockholes at the site while the rows of jagged lines represent the tracks of the Tingari men as they passed through the area. Since events associated with the Tingari Cycle are of a secret nature no further detail was given.

 

Generally the Tingari are a group of ancestral beings of the Dreaming who travelled over the vast stretches of the country, performing rituals and creating and shaping particular sites. The Tingari men were usually followed by Tingari women and were accompanied by novices, and their travels and adventures are enshrined in a number of song cycles. These ancestral stories form part of the teachings when initiating youths today as well as providing explanations for contemporary customs.