RONNIE TJAMPITJINPA

In this monumental work, Pintupi artist Ronnie Tjampitjinpa depicts Kampuralagna, an area east of Kintoke, close to the Northern Territory and Western Australian border, in which he has links through his father. The Tjukurrpa (Dreaming) of this site is associated with the Tingari Cycle, a secret song cycle sacred to initiated men. Whilst the deep knowledge of the Tingari Cycle is restricted to senior men who have reached the appropriate level of initiation, public versions, which do not reveal secret/sacred information also exist.

The Tingari are a group of Ancestral male Elders who travelled across vast areas of the Western Desert. Accompanied by Punyunyu, recently initiated men, the senior men performed ceremonies and created the country as they journeyed across the land. Maliera, initiation ceremonies, were performed at significant water soakages, rockholes, mountains and sand hills. These male groups were followed by Tingari women, who in some narratives provide young girls with ritual and legal instruction.
The Tingari song cycles form part of the instruction and guidance in the Law that Pintupi Punyunyu receive today.¹

In Kampuralagna, Ronnie Tjampitjinpa combines two modes of expression typical of Tingari paintings. An expanse of interlinked concentric circles, executed here in white, yellow and red, is confronted by square geometric shapes. The circle-line motif is central to the art of the Central Australian Desert, where it often refers to sites, or resting places, linked by paths taken by travelling Ancestral beings.² The sheer multitude of circles depicted in this work reveal the depth and intimacy of the artists  knowledge of the landscape.

Born near Muyinnga, west of the Kintore Ranges, Ronnie traveled extensively with his family across Pintupi country and around Wilkinkarra (Lake Mackay) as he was growing up. He was initiated into Aboriginal Law at Yumari, near his birthplace. Having started his artistic life in Papunya Tula around 1971, Ronnie was a central figure in the homeland movement in the late 70s and early 80s, becoming Chairman of the Kintore Outstations Council.³  

Living so close to his Ancestral country, Ronnies art is imbued with a profound spirituality. Using a distinctive graphic style, combined with a bold choice of colour, Ronnies work has acquired a remarkable clarity of expression. In Kampuralagna, the hypnotic qualities of repeated concentric circles combined with the cartographic connotations of interlinking lines create a sense of a continuous journey. Within this visual landscape, the fluidity of the organic circles is enhanced by the rigidity of the square designs, creating a powerful tension within the work.

The art of Ronnie Tjampitjinpa is represented in the National Gallery of Australia as well as in major public and private collections. He has exhibited nationally and internationally. In 1988, he won the Alice Springs Art Prize and in 1993 his work was included in Australian Perspecta.

Footnotes
1. Graham, L.D.,The Creation of Wilkinkarra (Lake Mackay) in Pintupi/Kukatja Dreamings, Australian Aboriginal Studies, 2003 (Spring), pp.30-45
2. Morphy, H., Aboriginal Art, London & New York: Phaidon, 1998, p.121
3. Ryan, J., Identity in the Land: Trajectories of Central Desert Art 1971-2006, in Ryan, J., Landmarks, Melbourne: National Gallery of Victoria, 2006, pp.107-117

Miriam Ross, BA (Hons), MLitt, MA