Biography

Richard Yukenbarri is a member of the Papunya Art Center and lives in Kintore (on the border between the Northern Territories and Western Australia). His work depicts ancestral Tingari stories relating to numerous sacred sites. The Tingari were a group of ancestral beings who moved across vast expanses of land during the Tjukurrpa or Dreamtime, the time of Creation for the Aborigines. On their journeys, they performed numerous rituals and created more than one sacred site. The stories of the Tingari are commemorated in many song cycles and important ceremonies. As the events associated with these legends are of a secretive nature, very few additional details are provided by the artists who dedicate work to them.

It is from these paintings that contemporary Aboriginal artists such as Richard Yukenbarri draw their inspiration, subtly mapping the sites created by their mythical ancestors and for which they, as initiates, are responsible and custodians. This religious duty is at the root of these painters' work: by evoking a sacred site, they not only honor it but also ensure its continuity. Public collections: -Artbank, Sydney -Papunya Tula Collection, Papunya All the Richard Yukenbarri TJAKAMARRA works we offer are accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued by the Papunya art center Tula Artists Pty Ltd.