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Artist Bessie Nipper
Title Tjulpu (Birds)
Year 2022
Medium

Acrylic on aluminium and recycled plaster off-cuts

Dimensions 16 × 60 × 60 cm
Art Centre Walkatjara Art →

Various

Out of stock

Bessie Nipper

Ngayulu Areyonga-la iti ngaringu munu ngayulu nyinangi tjukutjuku, pitjangu Mutitjulula pulkaringu kungkawararingu munu tjitjitjararingu. Ngayulu nintiringu painting palyantjaku kungkawara. Ngayulu nyakupai ngayuku ngunytjungku palyanyangka, Marukula munu Walkatjarala. Ngayulu nyakula nintiringu. Paluru nintilpai. Ngayulu palyalpai Kungka Kutjaranya munu Kungkarangkalpa, Kuniya Liru Tjukurpa. Park-ngka presentation, culture talk munu Marukungka wangkapai, tjukurpa maiku, painting palyalpai, dot painting.

I was born in Areyonga and lived there for a short time before moving to Mutitjulu where I grew up and had my children. I learnt to paint as a young teenager, always seeing my mother (Barbara Tjikadu Nipper) working with Maruku and with Walkatjara. I learned from watching her. She was my teacher. I paint Ancestral stories of the Two Women, the Seven Sisters and of the Python and Venomous snakes. I often do presentations and culture talks through the National Park, as well as dot painting workshops and bush food talks with Maruku.

Artist statement

Tjulpu tjuta, kapingku puyinyangka tjana pukularipai munu tjana mirapai, wangkapai… Tjulpu tjuta munu tjana kapiku mukuringkupai. Tjintu kutu pakalpai munu wangkapai. Tjulpu wangkapai Anangu wankaripai, uwa, kulilpai Anangungku, ‘Muntauwa, tjulpu wangkanyi nyaratja tjintu kutu.

Whenever it rains the birds rejoice and start twittering and singing…birds love the rain. They wake in the dawn light and sing. The birds call and people start to wake up when they hear them, ‘It must be daybreak, the birds are chirping in the distance.