Mick Namarari Tjapaltjarri

Kangaroo Ancestor at Walukirritji

1973

The four concentric circles in this painting represent sites where the Kangaroo ancestor stopped during the Tjukurrpa (Dreaming). The U shapes surrounding the sites represent men decorated for ceremonies that commemorate the Kangaroo ancestor’s travel. Running through the center of the painting are kangaroo tracks, astride a flowing line indicating the trail of the animal’s tail as it drags across the sand. In combining these elements, Namarari draws a direct connection between the original actions of the Kangaroo ancestor during the creation time, and its recreation in contemporary ceremonies.

I paint real slow, no rush, slow.

MICK NAMARARI TJAPALTJARRI

Language Group: Pintupi
Dates: 1927-1998

Mick Namarari Tjapaltjarri was one of the founding artists at Papunya. When the painting movement started in 1971, Mick Namarari’s work immediately stood out, as it signaled a departure from the traditional iconography of Pintupi painting, which included concentric circles and lines. He developed an abstract style on more expansive canvases, using striking undotted lines in his designs. In addition to varied stylistic approaches, he also had a diverse range of subjects, such as the site of Tjunginpa and a Dingo Tjukurrpa site at Nyunmanu, southeast of Kintore. In 1991 he won the National Aboriginal Art Award and in 1994 he was awarded co-winner of the Alice Prize and inaugural winner of the Red Ochre Award. Throughout his career, he made over 700 paintings. After his passing, two of Mick Namarari's children, Angelina Nungarrayi and Peter Tjungurrayi, started painting in a style reminiscent of their father’s. In 2017 Mick Namarari was given a solo retrospective titled The Mysteries that Remain at the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection. He is the subject of a major monograph, The Master from Marnpi, by Alec O'Halloran.

MICK NAMARARI TJAPALTJARRI, Kangaroo Ancestor at Walukirritji, 1973

Synthetic polymer paint on composition board. 34 × 23 in. (86.4 × 58.4 cm). Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of the University of Virginia, Gift of John W. and Maria T. Kluge, 2008. 2008.0003.008.

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