Kanyintjaku – Holding: Tanya Umatji Tjapalyi, Anita Pumani & Pauline Minmila Wangin
Tanya Umatji Tjapalyi, Anita Pumani, and Pauline Minmila Wangin are three highly skilled contemporary Australian artists whose work is recognised for its vibrant colours, intricate patterns, and cultural significance. Each of these artists holds something vital — stories, knowledge, relationships to land — and offers it through paint with fierce tenderness and commitment to their practices. From the soft intricacy of Umatji’s works mapping her mother’s country around Iltur, to Anita’s bold, vibrant homages to Antara and the Maku (witchetty grub) Songline, to Pauline’s meandering topographies of the underground water systems between Mimili and Indulkana — these are paintings of connection and care.
Their collective careers are not only marked by a saturated use of colour and form to create beauty in art but they also capture the culture and heritage of their community. Their stories come from Irititja (long ago) and their art serves to bring to the forefront the spirituality and teaching of their ancient and continuing culture.
The electric hues and intricate patterns found within these paintings evoke a deep connection to the land and the stories they hold. These paintings and their stories from Irititja serve as a testament to the profound artistic talent that sits within Tanya, Anita and Pauline and their creations. Their visually stunning pieces celebrate both their cultural heritage and contemporary artistic practices. By doing so these paintings not only showcase the beauty of the Australian landscape but also highlight the long history of Indigenous people and their land.
The artists works speak not only to place, but to the way knowledge is carried and protected: in ceremony, in silence, in song, and on canvas. Each mark is a continuation, each story held within the body and then set down for others to follow. In these works, we see what it means to keep something alive by holding it close — and to offer it again with generosity. Short St Gallery proudly presents, Kanyintjaku – Holding and we invite you to view the exhibition via our gallery or online.