Tjukurrtjanu Origins of Western Desert Art

This important exhibition features 200 of the first paintings produced at Papunya in 1971 to 72 by the founding artists of the Western Desert art movement. These seminal works sparked the genesis of the Papunya Tula movement, now internationally recognised as one of the most important events in Australian art history.

The founding Papunya Tula artists drew on a rich tradition of iconographic signs and symbols to create these early works. The exhibition establishes a connection between the works of art themselves and their sources in ephemeral designs made for use in ceremony. The period from 1971 to 1972 was a critical turning point when the ancient visual language of the Western Desert was rendered permanent on sheets of composition board and thereby transformed into a rich new art form: artefact became art.

Tjukurrtjanu includes paintings, shields, spear throwers, stone knives, historical photographs, headbands and body ornaments.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are advised that this website may contain images and voices of people who have died. Some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities may be distressed by seeing the name, or image of a community member who has passed away. The exhibition also contains secret/sacred material and private materials that may be restricted to traditional custodians.