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CHARLIE TARAWA TJUNGURRAYI c.1921 - 1999 Tjitutulnga, 1984 acrylic on linen 121 x 76 cm inscribed verso: Papunya Tula Artists cataloguing details PROVENANCE Papunya Tula Artists, NT Cat No. CT840825 Private collection, Vic Joel Fine Art, Important Aboriginal Art, Melbourne,Vic, 05/06/2007, Lot No. 145 Private collection, Vic accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from Papunya Tula Artists Charlie Tarawa (Tararu) was a founding member of Papunya Tula Artists and an influential early figure in the Western Desert art movement. A natural leader and gifted communicator, he became a key spokesman for the Pintupi. His strong command of English allowing him to explain and negotiate across cultural boundaries. While some non-Indigenous people in the Papunya settlement found him challenging, Geoffrey Bardon described him as loyal and accessible, qualities that made him invaluable during the fragile early years of the painting movement. Tawara was also the eldest of a large group of Tjungurrayi "brothers" who would go on to become major Papunya painters, including Kingsley, Shorty Lungkata, Yala Yala, Don, George, Willy, Two Bob and Yumpululu. His leadership within this group helped lay the foundations for Pintupi painting as it came to national prominence. This painting depicts Tjitutulnga, a site to the west of Kintore connected with the ninu (bilby) Dreaming. The accompanying certificate from Papunya Tula Artists states: "The site depicted in this painting is tjitutulnga to the west of the Kintore community. This place is associated with the ninu (a small marsupial) Dreaming. There is a man and his two wives living at this site. The circles represent places in the hills where the ninu enter." By painting this narrative, Tawara renders the landscape not simply as physical terrain but as a field of ancestral presence. The composition records the movement of the small marsupial across Country, while also embedding the ceremonial and familial associations tied to this place. @ CHARLIE TAWARA TJUNGURRAYI / Copyright Agency, 2025