Tjapaltjarri, Walala

Walala Tjapaltjarri, born in the late 1960s east of Kiwirrkurra, WA, is a Pintupi artist from the Kiwirrkurra community. He gained international recognition after he began painting in 1997, and his works are now featured in private and public collections across Australia, Europe, and the U.S.A. Introduced to painting by his brother Warlimpirrnga, Walala initially painted in the classical Tingari style but quickly developed his own abstract and graphic style, using rectangles to represent his country and ceremonial sites both physically and spiritually.

Walala's paintings depict the Tingari Cycle, illustrating the journeys of ancestral beings during the Tjukurrpa (Creation Era) and the creation of the environment. His art reflects his deep connection to the land, its sacred sites like Wilkinkarra, Maruwa, and Tarrku, and the traditions of his people. Walala and his family, known as 'The Lost Tribe', lived a traditional nomadic life in the Gibson Desert until 1984, maintaining an intimate knowledge of the land that allowed them to survive for thousands of years.

Sources:
https://www.kateowengallery.com/artists/Wal90/Walala-Tjapaltjarri.htm?srsltid=AfmBOooLDoWY5UlZjKmCF9ZkBqJ9a1kuUhV0RtDOqiwa8jvg8bsFdp7h