Mavis Nampitjinpa Marks, Kalipinpa Water Dreaming, 198x121cm

• Aboriginal Artist - Mavis Nampitjinpa Marks
• Community - Ikuntji (Haasts Bluff) 
• Aboriginal Art Centre - Ikuntji Artists
• Catalogue number - 17/MN174
• Materials - Acrylic on linen 
• Size(cm) - H121 W198 D2  
• Postage variants - Artwork posted un-stretched and rolled for safe shipping

In this painting Mavis Nampitjinpa paints her Tjukurrpa (Dreaming), the Water Dreaming specific to the site of Kalipinpa, to the north of Kintore. For Aboriginal people of the Western Desert, Kapi (water) is a crucial resource for survival. When the rains arrive in the desert the landscape comes to life with all the desert flowers blooming, bush tucker abundant and people taking advantage of all the joys that water brings.

Mavis was born at New Haven. She is the sister of Ronnie Tjampitjinpa and Smithy Zimran Tjampitjinpa. Her sisters Yuyuya Nampitjinpa and Gina Nampitjinpa are from the same birth mother and father (Tjangala). She enjoys traveling to Kintore to visit with her sister Yuyuwa. Gina lives in Alice Springs and Mavis is able to see her regularly. She moved to Haasts Bluff as a teenager with her mother. When she married she moved to Mt Liebig with her husband and began to paint at the art centre there. Mavis returned to Haasts Bluff at the death of her husband, later moving to Papunya. Mavis likes to paint the Ceremonial Dancing of ladies at Mt Liebig, and represents their body painting designs. She also paints the story given to her by her grandfather of Kalipinpa, the Water Dreaming, which comes from her mother’s side. She has raised five children as her own, and her daughter, Sylvana Marks, is also an artist.

A lot of stories are still being recounted of long journeys of people from various language groups, who travelled from rockholes and waterholes to caves and mountains finally arriving at Haasts Bluff. The locals, Luritja people of Haasts Bluff, were already here. Thus Haasts Bluff is a community rich of diversity in language and culture.

Ikuntji Artists was first established in 1992, after a series of workshops with Melbourne artist Marina Strocchi, and under the influence of the then community president, the late Esther Jugadai. The art centre was initially set up to fulfil the role of women’s centre providing services such as catering for old people and children in the community. After first experiences made in printing T-shirts, the artists began producing acrylic paintings on linen and handmade paper, which quickly gained the attention of the Australian and international art world as well as earning the centre an impressive reputation for fine art. The focus changed from a women’s centre to an art centre in 2005 with the incorporation of the art centre as Ikuntji Artists Aboriginal Corporation.

The artists draw their inspiration from their personal ngurra (country) and Tjukurrpa (Dreaming). They interpret the ancestral stories by using traditional symbols, icons and motifs. The artistic repertoire of Ikuntji Artists is diverse and includes for example: naive as well as highly abstract paintings told by each artist in their personal signature style. Throughout the 21 years of its existence the art movement in Ikuntji has flourished and constantly left its mark in the fine art world. At the same time the art centre has been the cultural hub of the community, maintaining, reinforcing and reinvigorating cultural practices through art-making.

Today Ikuntji Artists has eight key artists, who exhibit in Australia and internationally. They are represented in major collections across the globe.

Text: Melanie Greiner, Alison Multa and Dr Chrischona Schmidt