Tjiparritjarra, 1986

CHARLIE TJAPANGATI
Tjiparritjarra, 1986
Acrylic on canvas
200 x 170 cm

AUDIO TRANSCRIPT

Artist Charlie Tjapangati, title, Tjiparritjarra, 1986. Tjiparritjarra is based on a site by that name in central Australia, just west of Alice Springs. The dreaming portrayed in this painting is one of the most traditional and widely told dreamtime stories from the Western Desert, namely the Tengari cycle. Somewhat comparable to the gods of Greek mythology, the Tengari are a group of mythical ancestors who travel throughout the world conducting secret rituals, performing heroic deeds and creating the landscape in the process. Their travels are linked with particular sites for which the different tribal artists have inherited storytelling. This work is derived from traditional sand paintings depicting the travels of the Tingari between sites represented by the roundels of white dot concentric circles. The roundels are joined by single straight lines of white dots except for the bottom centre where there are two dual tracks with specific ritual meaning. The uninitiated just are not allowed to know. Overall, the painting displays a unique blend of traditional and contemporary artistic styles.