Papunya Tula Artists
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In 1972, Papunya Tula Artists became Australia’s first Aboriginal arts company that foreshadowed the federal government shifting its Indigenous policies from assimilation to self-determination. When local school teacher Geoffrey Bardon asked the men ‘what do you want to call the company?’, Pintupi man Charlie Tarawa (Tjaruru) immediately said, ‘Papunya Tula’.
The name references a hill outside Papunya that is a meeting place for all brothers and cousins. Papunya Tula Artists is now more than a name, it is a statement that resonates distinction within the Indigenous Art movement. This exhibition showcases the exemplary talent and meticulous skill that has become recognised with the name Papunya Tula Artists.
Photo: Lucy Loomoo Nungurrayi, Untitled (LL1605072 - detail), acrylic on linen, 61x55cm 2016
