Nyilyari is the son of Pinta Pinta Tjapanangka. He was named after his grandfather. He lives at Kintore and used to help prime canvases for Papunya Tula and now paints for them. Nyilari Tjapangati was born c. 1965 and has been painting for Papunya Tula Pty Ltd since the late 1990s, regularly since 2004

His paintings depict designs associated with the salt lake site of Wilkinkarra (Lake Mackay) and Kaakuratinja (Lake MacDonald). These are sites that were often referenced in his father’s paintings. In ancestral times a large group of Tingari men visited this site on their travels towards the east. The men had previously visited the rockhole site of Winparku (Mt Webb) further south. The concentric squares in this painting depict the soakage waters near Winparku, while the jagged lines represent the path of the Tingari men as they travelled towards Wilkinkarra. This design is also consistent with those used during rain making ceremonies. Since events associated with the Tingari Cycle are of a secret nature no further detail was given.

Generally, the Tingari are a group of mythical characters of the Dreaming who travelled over vast stretches of the country, performing rituals and creating and shaping particular sites. The Tingari men were usually followed by Tingari women and accompanied by novices and their travels and adventures are enshrined in a number of song cycles. These mythologies form part of the teachings of the post initiatory youths today as well as providing explanations for contemporary customs.

Selected Group Exhibitions:

2022 The Masterworks Show, Harvey Art Projects, Sun Valley, ID, USA
2022 Fifty Years Papunya Tula Artists, Utopia Art, Sydney
2022 Irrititja Kuwarri Tjungu | Past & Present Together: 50 Years of Papunya Tula Artists, Part 2, Kluge-Ruhe Collection, University of Virginia, Charlottesville VA, USA
2021 50 Years of Papunya Tula Artists, Kate Owen Gallery, Sydney
2021 Papunya Tula: 50 years 1971-2021, S.H. Erwin Gallery, Sydney
2020 Community XI, Utopia Art, Sydney
2020 Pintupi Masters - Enduring Dreamings, Kate Owen Gallery, Sydney
2018 Papunya Tula Artists: Visual Rhythm II, Paul Johnstone Gallery, Darwin

Awards and Recognition

2013 30th NATSIAA, Darwin - Finalist
2009 TogArt Contemporary Art Award, Darwin Convention Centre, Darwin - Finalist

Collections

Art Gallery of New South Wales

National Gallery of Victoria

Queensland Art Gallery of Modern Art

Harvard Art Museums, USA

Kluge Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection, University of Virginia, USA

Luciano Benetton Collection, Venice, Italy