Collections:
Aboriginal art
Museum, The Netherlands.
Art Gallery of New
South Wales
National Gallery
of Victoria, Melbourne.
Exhibitions:
Individual
Exhibitions:
1997
– present. Johnny has participated in group exhibitions in Alice Springs,
Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Darwin and Brisbane, and overseas at the Centre
for Contemporary Art in Warsaw, Poland.
2003 – William Mora Galleries
2004 – New Paintings, Utopia
Art Sydney, Sydney.
Group Exhibitions:
2012 Tjukurrpa Ngaatjanya
Maru Kamu Tjulkura (Dreaming in Black and White), at the Red Dot Fine Art
Gallery, Singapore.
2011 – Papunya Tula artists ? Community III, at Utopia Art Sydney.
2011 – Pintupi Trail, at Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne.
2011 – 28th Telstra National Aboriginal Art Award, Museum and Art
Gallery of the NT, Darwin.
2011 – Celebrating 40 years of Papunya Tula Artists Invitation, at
Utopia Art Sydney.
2010 – Papunya Tula Artists Community, Utopia Art, Sydney.
2010 – Tradition and Innovation – Papunya Tula 2010, at Gallery
Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne.
2010 – PTA Now at Utopia at Utopia Art Sydney.
2009 – Community – the heart of Papunya Tula artists, at Utotpia Art
Sydney.
2007 – Big Paintings from Papunya Tula Artists, Utopia Art Sydney,
Sydney.
2006 – PTA – Papunya Tula Artists, Utopia Arts Sydney, Sydney.
Notes:
Johnny Yungut Tjupurrula was
born near Tjungimanta to the north-east of the present location of Kiwirrkura.
His early life was spent in the region between Wilkinkarra and Kiwirrkura. With
other members of his family, Johnny Yungut visited Balgo in the 1950’s. While
some of the family remained at Balgo, including his brother Donkeyman Lee
Tjupurrula, Johnny returned to the Wilkinkarra region, meeting up with the
Evans patrol in 1956. He subsequently walked in to Mount Doreen and Yuendumu
with them. When visiting Lapi Lapi rockhole north of Lake Mackay in 1957 he met
up with Donald Thomson and thus features in the book Bindibu Country (1975).
This encounter led to Johnny Yungut’s family group relocating to Haasts Bluff.
Johnny Yungut then moved to
Papunya in late 1959. He began painting for Papunya Tula Artists in 1997, and
now lives at Kiwirrkura.His
paintings depict the dreaming stories and the travels of the Tingari learned
during his own travels, using the traditional concentric circle and line design
and diminishing square design in subtle and unusual colour combinations. Hi wife, Walangkura Napanangka is also a highly sought-after
artist who has become quite famous worldwide.
1 Ken Watson in Papunya Tula Genesis
and Genius, Edited by Hetti Perkins and Hannah Fink, Art Gallery of New South
Wales, Sydney, Australia 2000, p. 294
