Tjimpuna Williams, Tjukula Tjuta, 101x76cm

• Aboriginal Artist - Tjimpuna Williams
• Community - Ernabella
• Aboriginal Art Centre - Iwiri Arts 
• Catalogue number - 365-23
• Materials - Acrylic paint on linen
• Size(cm) - H101 W76 D2
• Postage variants - Artwork posted un-stretched and rolled for safe shipping
• Orientation - Painted from all sides and OK to hang as wished

Tjukula Tjuta (many rockholes) "People go out to the rockholes to get kapi (water) we know the names from a long time ago for all the rockholes, when it rains, we know there is big kapi in the rockhole and we can get fresh water."

For the Pitjantjatjara people living in the central and western desert, knowledge of the water sources was crucial to survival. The deep familiarity with their country ensured constant sources of water and food could be found and this intimate understanding of the landscape continues today. 'Tjukula' means rock-holes or waterholes. Anangu often protect these water sources by using rocks and spinifex to form a barrier to animals and, in more recent times, to protect from feral and stock animals.

Tjimpuna has worked across several mediums including painting, linocut prints and batik, but her chosen medium is ceramics.

In 2012 she was a finalist in the indigenous Ceramic Art Awards at Shepparton Art Museum. Tjimpuna uses traditional patterns that relate to rockhole (tjukula) or sand dune (tali), and also paints the Tjukurpa of her mother;s country - Piltati, near Kanpi in the APY Lands. Other pieces are her personal walka or design. These designs are drawn from batik patterns and from her own interpretation of images from country and ceremony.

In 2011 Tjimpuna's ceramics were featured in an Ernabella exhibition at the South Australian Museum. She undertook a residency at the JamFactory in the same year. In 2012 Tjimpuna participated in the Australian Ceramic Triennale in Adelaide.

Tjimpuna and Derek Thompson were awarded a New Work grant by the Australian Council for the Arts and in 2013 undertook a big pot in Ji gdezhen, China. This work was exhibited in 2014 at Sydney's prestigious Sabbia Gallery. Tjimpuna has also travelled to Korea and Signapore for her art practice. in early 2015 Tjimpuna and Derek returned to Jingdezhen, and the work made then was exhibited with Sabbia Gallery in Sydney and at the Australian Ceramic Triennale in Canberra in June and July 2015.

In 2016 Ernabella was a key contributor to the collaborative ceramics installation created for the 2016 Indigenous Ceremic Art Award. The work involved seven women potters telling the important Seven Sisters Tjukurpa and was exhibited at Shepparton Art Museum. In 2016 Tjimpuna also exhibited in the Pukatjalanguru kungka tjuta kunpu warkarinytja  - Ernabella wome: Strong work, together exhibition at Sabbia Gallery.

Tjimpuna's artwork has been acquired for the collections of the National Museum of Australia, Australian National Gallery, Queensland Art Gallery, and Museum of Ethnology, Osaka, Japan.

Iwiṟi was established by Aṉangu in 2018, many of whom had been forced to move to Adelaide due to chronic health conditions and lack of services in their home communities. Living far from their traditional homelands, Anangu were concerned about the cultural and social isolation they were experiencing and saw a need to act.  Iwiri was formed initially to help retain, promote and transmit Anangu culture and language through the areas of arts, language, knowledge and community. Since then Iwiṟi has grown rapidly into an organization that delivers  a range of programs that aim to strengthen and advance Aṉangu wellbeing.

Iwiri strengthens the Aṉangu community through cultural and arts activities, creating employment opportunities and enterprise development. We want our young people to be strong in their language and culture and to take up opportunities to work in our community.

All paintings come with a certificate of authenticity provided by the community-run Aboriginal Art Centre, not us, which is the gold standard for ethical purchasing and documentation.

We take great pride in offering high-quality, authentic Aboriginal Art pieces to you and in addition to our 120-day returns(they don't come back), we are pleased to offer a lifetime money-back authenticity guarantee to all customers who purchase Aboriginal Art from us, both past and present.

This guarantee covers any disrepute or wrongdoing in association with the authenticity of any Aboriginal artwork ever sold by ART ARK®. We understand that purchasing authentic Aboriginal Art is important to you, and we want to provide you with peace of mind in knowing that you are getting what you expect.

We take the authenticity of Aboriginal Art seriously and are committed to providing you with high-quality and genuine works of art. If at any time you have any concerns whatsoever about the authenticity of any art piece, please do not hesitate to contact us and we will investigate further. If we find any wrongdoing or disrepute in regards to the provenance or authenticity of any artwork sold by us we will promptly provide a full refund to you at any time in the future, be it in one year, or in ten!

Please find more information on authenticity here: https://artark.com.au/pages/aboriginal-art-authenticity

All of our Desert Paintings, with the exception of the Stretched Desert Paintings Collection, are sent rolled.

Sending paintings rolled is the best option for their safe arrival and allows us to include free shipping, provide timely service, and maintain consistent and transparent pricing relating to the prices set by each Aboriginal Art centre.

The size of the painting listed relates to the painted surface. There is also a painted edge(2cm) and additional canvas for stretching.

A local framer will easily stretch the work for you at a nominal cost. Framers are everywhere and there is likely one just up the road. We recommend choosing one with good reviews and if you call ahead you will generally get a better-quoted price than if you turn up, painting in hand.

Please find further details and examples relating to framing here: https://artark.com.au/pages/how-to-frame-your-aboriginal-art