Amari Tjalkuri, Watarru Tjukurpa, 100x72cm

• Aboriginal Artist - Amari Tjalkuri
• Community - Ernabella
• Aboriginal Art Centre - Iwiri Arts 
• Catalogue number - 139-23
• Materials - Acrylic paint on canvas
• Size(cm) - H100 W72 D2
• Postage variants - Artwork posted un-stretched and rolled for safe shipping
• Orientation - Painted from all sides and OK to hang as wished

Amari is painting Watarru Tjukurpa, her grandmother's country. It is about the beautiful lands near Watarru, located in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) lands. ‘There are lots and lots of sandhills and lots of little camels, it is so beautiful.' Amari has learned to paint many stories tied to her country from her father. Her father, Bernard
Tjalkuri, was an important community elder and painter with a wealth of cultural knowledge of Tjukurpa that he passed down to her. Paintings that hold Tjukurpa depict a fragment of a larger story, a living history where an ancestor was involved in increasing country. Individuals have authority and ownership of this land and the associated sites and stories. The maintenance of country and Tjukurpa is paramount to artists of Watarru.

Amari Tjalkuri was born in Ernabella around 1960 and went to primary school there. She continued her schooling in Adelaide at Gepps Cross High School. She has also graduated from the University of South Australia with a Diploma of Education and has taught at the Ernabella school and at Watarru community. Amari’s father Bernard Tjalkuri was a significant painter at Tjungu Palya where she learnt how to paint by watching and working alongside him. She followed his ways of painting closely as a way to develop her style and learn her family tjukurpa from Watarru. Amari is now living in Adelaide and working at the studio at Iwiri.

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.

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