TJURUPARU WATSON
Tjuruparu was born in the bush sometime around 1940, anangu way: no house, no hospital. "The rockhole I was born at is called Kulkutja. It is a long way from Irrunytju, the other side of Tjukurla, near Kintore in N.T." As a young man he lived a semi-nomadic lifestyle, travelling with his family through his mother’s country around Irrunytju. He was a teenager when his family walked into Warburton mission and was surprised to see so many families there.
Tjuruparu has a strong knowledge of Tjukurpa narratives and is a powerful story-teller and painter of many of the dreaming stories that intersect across the country.
EXHIBITIONS
2006 Irrunytju Arts: Senior artists from Irrunytju WA, Raft Artspace, Darwin
2005 Ngayuku Ngura – My Country, Vivien Anderson Gallery, Melbourne
2004 Colour Power: Aboriginal art post 1984, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
COLLECTIONS
National Gallery of Victoria
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra
SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY
Ryan, Judith 2004 Colour Power: Aboriginal Art post 1984 (exh. cat.), National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne