UNTITLED, 1998
EUBENA NAMPITJIN
synthetic polymer paint on linen
180.0 x 120.0 cm
bears inscription verso: artist’s name, size and Warlayirti Artists cat. 524/98
Warlayirti Artists, Balgo, Western Australia
Palya Art, Darwin
Private collection, Melbourne, acquired from the above
Nampitjin’s deep knowledge of country, the contours of the terrain, the sacred places and the ancestral beliefs is revealed in her fluent application of luminous colour. ‘I like painting from my heart. My uncle gave me maparn (traditional healing powers) and I have strong spirit. I like to do paintings, big ones, to keep my spirit strong.’1 Nampitjin was a senior law woman and one of the most respected figures in the Balgo community.
In 1964, Nampitjin moved to Wirrimanu, the present site of the Balgo community. When her husband Purungu Tjakata Tjapaltjarri passed away she married Wimmitji Tjapangati. While Tjapangati painted at the Adult Education Centre, Nampitjin taught the young girls how to dance and paint for ceremonies. After encouragement from the Warlpiri women, Nampitjin began to paint alongside her husband. By the mid 1980s, she had produced several works that were included in the 1986 exhibition Art of the Great Sandy Desert which was held at the Art Gallery of Western Australia. Further impetus to paint came in 1989, when the new arts organisation, Warlayirti Artists, was formed which provided her with the infrastructure and support to pursue her love of painting and enabling her to focus on major Dreaming Stories.
1. Williamson, S., and Togni, S., (eds), Eubena Nampitjin; Art and Life, Warlayirti Artists, Balgo, 2005, p.19