Thomas Tjapaltjarri

Thomas Tjapaltjarri was born early 1964, around Kiwirrkura in the Gibson Desert. He and his family lived a very isolated lifestyle, having no contact with western people or modern civilization. 

The subjects of his painting are the Tingari (Men's Creation Dreaming) cycle, a series of sacred and mythological songs connected to his birth ground. His 'Tingari' paintings are associated with the artist's Dreaming sites located throughout the vast sandhill country of the Western Australian desert.

It was at Kiwirrkuru that Thomas began to paint  on canvas, setting down the stories and images of an unbroken cultural tradition stretching back tens of thousands of years. This style is characterized by its rectangular shapes and lines surrounded by dots. The strength of his work was recognised at once and is very popular today.

His style is strongly gestural and boldly graphic, one that is generally highlighted by a series of rectangles set against a monochrome background.