Aaron Kingsley Tjapaltjarri

DOB: 1963
BORN: Pupunya, NT
LANGUAGE GROUP: Pintupi
COMMUNITY: Pupunya, NT

Aaron Kingsley Tjapaltjarri grew up in Papunya, Northern Territory.  He is the brother of renowned artist Goodwin Kingsley.  Aaron’s stories were taught to him by his late father, George Tjungurrayi.  Aaron Kingsley paints the Tingari Cycle, a creation story associated with the Pintupi Tribe.  Aaron’s work follows the direction other prominent Pintupi artists have taken to depict this important story: George‘ Hairbrush’ Tjungurrayi, Walala Tjapaltjarri and George Ward Tjungurrayi.

The Tingari cycle embodies a vast network of Aboriginal Dreaming songlines that traverse the Western Desert region of Australia. Locations and events of the Tingari cycle frequently occur as the subject matter of Aboriginal art from the area. In Pintupi narratives, a group of Tingari men (ancestral elders) – usually followed by groups of women and children – travelled over the Western Desert area, performing rituals and creating the country. Deep knowledge of Tingari is still very secretive and restricted to men in the community who hold an appropriate level of seniority. There are, however, public stories that do not disclose secret/sacred knowledge.