Three Brothers

Pintupi artists Warlimpirrnga Tjapaltjarri, Walala Tjapaltjarri and Thomas Tjapltjarri

Gannon House Gallery

Apr 24 2021 - Jun 11 2021

Brothers Warlimpirrnga, Walala and Thomas Tjapltjarri came out of the desert with their extended family in 1984, leaving their traditional nomadic lifestyle after their first western culture encounter. Warlimpirringa was the group leader and after speaking with other Pintupi people living in Kiwikurra he made the decision they should stay in the community as their group had become too small to survive on their own .

After a few years Warlimpirringa approached the Papunya Tula art center and asked if he could paint with the other men. His first eleven paintings were purchased by Gabrielle Pizzi and exhibitied in her Gallery in 1988. Since then he has exhibited all over the world including a solo exhibition in New York at Studio 94 in 2015 and as a participant in Documentia, Kasel, Germany among others.

Walala's began painting about 1992 and his paintings were featured in the Spirit Country Exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts in San Francisco in 1998. He has become known for his careful gometric style. His story is the Tingari Cycle.

Thomas was a child in 1984 but began painting in the early 1990's. His work is more reminiscent of Warlimpirrnga's work but with his own unique take on the travels of the Tingari ancestors.

All three artists paint the areas where the ancestors traveled. Warlimpirrnga paints expansive aerial views of the landscape at Maruwa and Kanapilya while Thomas and Walala feature the water soakages with the salt crusted edges depicted by white dots around the geometric forms.