Nancy Nungurrayi

Marrapinti Water Soakage

2001

Marrapinti is the name of a site in the sandhills of Kiwirrkurra. It is also the Pintupi name for a "nose bone" used in nasal septum piercings. The Marrapinti is common painting motif because it plays an important role in Women's Tjukurrpa, song lines, and ceremonies.

Fiercly loyal and protective of her family, Nancy spends most of her painting hours alongside her sister Naata. Their relationship is bound by a love of family, bickering about past exploits and recent gossip, and a fiery competition. Often bursting into song or boisterous laughter as they paint, Nancy's expressive personality shapes the lively atmosphere and drama of the painting studio at Kintore. Her works exude a tenacious passion, which Nancy applies to every aspect of her life.

SARITA QUINLIVAN

Language Group: Pintupi
Dates: c. 1935-2009

Nancy Nungurrayiwas born at Maya, northwest of Kintore. In 1962, she came into contact with Jeremy Long’s Welfare Branch patrol and joined others walking into Papunya from the west the following year. In Papunya, Nancy married Shorty Bruno Tjangala, her second husband following the passing of Pilmatatji Tjangala, the father of her first daughter. With Shorty Bruno, she had three children, though only two survived past childhood. Following in the footsteps of her sister, Naata Nungurrayi, Nancy began painting with other Kintore women in 1996. Nancy’s paintings often depict women themes such as Iti (Birth) Dreaming.

NANCY NUNGURRAYI, Marrapinti Water Soakage, 2001

Synthetic polymer paint on canvas. 36 × 24 1/4 in. (91.4 × 61.6 cm). Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of the University of Virginia, Museum Purchase, 2004. 2004.0007.001

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