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= Willy Tjungurrayi = Willy Tjungurrayi (1936-2018) was an aboriginal artist known for his abilities in being able to portray the Tingari cycle. Due to his seniority and way of creating art, his work is quite valuable and sought after. His work is also celebrated for its minimalist style and deep connection to Pintupi culture and its ancestral roots.

Biography
Willy Tjungurrayi was born around 1930 in Patjantja, which is southwest of Lake Mackay, on the border between Western Australia and the Northern Territory. He was a distinguished Pintupi artist and a significant figure in the Western Desert art movement. He belonged to the Pintupi group, an Indigenous community from the Western Desert. He grew up living a traditional nomadic lifestyle. During the 1960s, Tjungurrayi moved to Papunya, a settlement northwest of Alice Springs, where he became involved in the Papunya Tula art movement, which played a pivotal role in the recognition of contemporary Indigenous art.

Career
Tjungurrayi started painting in the early 1980s, joining the ranks of Papunya Tula Artists, a cooperative founded in 1972. His art often focused on the Tingari Cycle, a series of sacred mythological stories tied to the ancestral journeys of the Tingari people. These stories, linked to ceremonial law, are significant to Pintupi and other Western Desert communities.

His paintings are recognized for their intricate dotting techniques and use of concentric circles to represent ceremonial sites, waterholes, and the travels of ancestral beings. Tjungurrayi’s compositions evolved over time, moving from relatively simple dot paintings to more complex, finely layered works featuring interconnected lines and geometric shapes.

His artistic career was marked by numerous exhibitions both nationally and internationally. His works are held in major public and private collections, showcasing his deep cultural knowledge and artistic innovation. Willy Tjungurrayi passed away in 2018, leaving behind a rich legacy of art and cultural storytelling.

Major Exhibitions: Papunya Tula: Genesis and Genius, Art Gallery of New South Wales (2000) Dreamings: The Art of Aboriginal Australia, The Asia Society Galleries, New York (1988) Solo exhibition, Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne (2005)

Works

 * 1) Tingari Cycle (1995):  Tingari Cycle (1995) by Willy Tjungurrayi is a significant work that embodies the characteristic elements of the Western Desert art movement. Painted in acrylic on canvas, the piece represents the Tingari Cycle, a series of sacred mythological stories central to the Pintupi people and other Western Desert communities. The intricate dot painting technique and geometric patterns convey the journeys of the Tingari ancestors, who traveled extensively across the Western Desert, creating sacred sites, landmarks, and establishing important laws and customs. Tjungurrayi's use of concentric circles and interconnected lines depicts the ceremonial sites and waterholes, providing a visual representation of these ancient ancestral journeys while showcasing his mastery of dot painting and deep connection to his cultural heritage.
 * 2) Tingari Dreaming at Lake Mackay (2007):  Tingari Dreaming at Lake Mackay (2007) by Willy Tjungurrayi is also a vibrant representation of the artist's connection to his ancestral homeland. The painting, created using acrylic on canvas, depicts the Tingari Dreaming associated with Lake Mackay, a significant site on the border of Western Australia and the Northern Territory where Tjungurrayi was born. Through a mesmerizing array of intricate dots and concentric circles, the work conveys sacred mythological stories from the Tingari Cycle.The painting's patterns and subtle color palette capture Tjungurrayi's work quite well, as he typically uses earth tones in his work. Tjungurrayi's meticulous dot painting technique and use of geometric forms convey the sacred and secret nature of these ancestral narratives. -