Tjunkaya Tapaya OAM: Kungkarangkalpa / Seven Sisters
Kungkarangkalpa / Seven Sisters (465C-23) by Tjunkaya Tapaya OAM of Ernabella Arts.
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Tjunkaya began working in the Ernabella Arts Craft Room making weavings, later excelling in the medium of batik, becoming one of the outstanding batik artists with work in several public collections. Her work was featured on the cover of Judith Ryan's 'Across the Desert: Aboriginal Batik from Central Australia.'
Tjunkaya also works in ceramics, tjanpi, punu (wood), print making, spinning and mukata (beanie) making and her work in these mediums has been seen in numerous exhibitions in Australia and internationally and in public and private galleries since 1971. Her works are held in many national and international collections.
Since 2015, Tjunkaya has chosen to concentrate on painting, ceramics and tjanpi sculpture. This focus has seen her become one of the most in-demand female artists on the APY Lands, and increasingly recognised in these mediums. In 2021 Tjunkaya’s ceramic work was a finalist in the NATSIAA Telstra Awards.
Tjunkaya has been on the Board and the Deputy Chair of Ernabella Arts, and the leader of the Nintintjaku Project: an intergenerational teaching project working with Ernabella Anangu School and the Ernabella NPY youth team. Tjunkaya is also a prolific writer in Pitjantjatjara. She is currently developing a bi-lingual children's book, and she has essays published in a number of exhibition catalogues.
In 2020 Tjunkaya was awarded an Order of Australia Medal, General Division in the Queen's Birthday Honours.
THIS PIECE IS ON DISPLAY AS PART OF THE TARNANTHI 2023 EXHIBITION ERNABELLA ARTS: CERAMIC WARKA WIRU 20 YEARS-KUTU (20 YEARS OF CREATING CERAMICS).
THE EXHIBITION RUNS UNTIL DECEMBER 3rd, 2023. ANY SOLD WORK WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR COLLECTION OR DELIVERY IN THE WEEKS FOLLOWING THIS DATE.
SHIPPING COSTS WILL BE CALCULATED AND CHARGED TO THE CUSTOMER ONCE THE EXHIBITION CONCLUDES, AND WORK IS PACKED. PLEASE CONTACT RETAIL STAFF ON (08) 8414 7225 FOR MORE DETAILS.
PRODUCT DETAILS:
Dimensions: 555 x 270 x 195mm
Materials: Stoneware
ABOUT THE ART CENTRE:
Established in 1948, Ernabella Arts is Australia’s oldest, continuously running Indigenous Art Centre. Ernabella Arts is in Pukatja Community, at the eastern end of the Musgrave Ranges in the far north west of South Australia. Pukatja was the first permanent settlement on the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands (APY Lands).
In recent years, long after commencing working as artists, senior women decided to leave behind the walka (design) of the early days and to depict their Tjukurpa (sacred stories of country and law). Today the centre is a varied group of artists, and a mix of young and old, men and women, working in several different mediums. The members of Ernabella Arts are always reinvigorating their centre, seeing it through its evolution from the first incarnation as a craft room, into a culturally strong contemporary art centre.
Ernabella Arts is an Aboriginal owned and run corporation which promotes and supports ethical practice in the creation and sale of Indigenous art.
Due to the handmade nature of the products dimensions may vary on individual pieces.
Purchases from our shops directly support individual artists as well as our unique exhibition and training programs.
Handmade in Australia.
