Purnaunnl by Pauline Sunfly, original Aboriginal acrylic painting, 150 × 100 cm, by a Kukatja artist from Balgo, Western Australia.

Pauline Sunfly - Purnaunnl

Name: Pauline Sunfly - Purnaunnl
Brand: Pauline Sunfly
SKU: BAL637-22
Price: 6700.00 AUD
Availability: InStock

$6,700 AUD

Artist:

Pauline Sunfly

Size:

150cm x 100cm

Medium:

Acrylic

Purnaunnl is an original acrylic painting by Pauline Sunfly, a Kukatja artist from Wirrimanu (Balgo) in Western Australia. Measuring 150 × 100 cm, the work relates to a Tjukurrpa story passed down by her father, Sunfly Tjampitjin, an important custodian of Law and Ceremony.

Pauline's paintings draw on her family's Country and the ancestral stories and ceremonial knowledge associated with the Western Desert.

Story from the certificate: In the Tjukurrpa (creation/lore time) a Tjampitjin man was hunting a bird. As the bird was trying to escape it fell flat on the ground with its wings outstretched. Today this area is a swamp that is the shape of the bird. This story was passed to her by her father, Sunfly Tjampitjin (dec) who was a senior custodian for this Law and Ceremony.

Artists Biography

Pauline Sunfly
Born 1958, Old Balgo Mission, WA
Community - Wirrimanu (Balgo), WA
Skin - Nangala
Language -Kukatja
Country - Wilkinkarra (Lake Mackay) and Mangkayi

Pauline paints her parents’ Country. Her mother, Bai Bai Napangarti (c.1935–2020), a law woman and senior Elder of the Balgo community, is a Ngardi woman whose Country extends from Mangkayi in the Stansmore Ranges to just south of Yagga Yagga. Her late father, Sunfly Tjampitjin (c.1920–1996), was an important Kukatja law man who was born further south, at Murrunpa (the Alec Ross Range) near Wilkinkarra (Lake Mackay).

Pauline was born at the old Balgo Mission and was educated through the mission school. She recalls working in the kitchen, the laundry and clearing the grounds of the mission. She has spent some time in Fitzroy Crossing and has visited Broome and Alice Springs, but otherwise has remained in Balgo with her ever growing family.

Bai Bai introduced her three daughters to painting at an early age, teaching them Tjukurrpa (creation stories and lore) through mark making. Pauline became an adept painter in her own right as a young woman, learning her craft through time spent sitting and painting with the old people. Bold and striking, her paintings depict ancestral paths, ceremonial designs and the stories of important Tjukurrpa sites associated with the native cat, goanna and luurnpa (kingfisher).

Pauline has been a finalist for the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards (NATSIAA) and the Kate Challis Raka Art Award, she has had two solo exhibitions including a showcase in the 2019 Tarnanthi Art Fair at the Art Gallery of South Australia. Pauline’s work is found in significant national and international collections.

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If this does not suit your requirements, and you wish to purchase a painting pre-stretched, please contact us, nichola@aboriginalcontemporary.com.au to discuss alternative options and prices.

We appreciate that at any price, each painting is an investment and we are happy to answer any questions that you might have.

Certificates of Authenticity

Every artwork comes with a Certificate of Authenticity, issued by the art centre, which includes details of both the artist and the artwork. Different art centres’ certificates look different, however they will all have the following information:

Artist name
Information about the artist, such as language group, place of birth, skin name
Picture of the artwork and in some cases the artist
Title of the artwork
Size of the artwork – make sure it matches the actual artwork
Story – This will vary in length and detail from art centre to art centre and from artist to artist
Catalogue number - this is an important code that links the artwork back to the artist, art centre and the date it was produced

Shipping & Delivery

Dispatch
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By appointment viewings

Although we no longer have a bricks-and-mortar gallery, the artworks on this website can be viewed by appointment in Bronte, Sydney. Contact Nichola on 0450929183 or nichola@aboriginalcontemporary.com.au with the pieces you are interested in to arrange a suitable time.

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About Aboriginal Contemporary

Aboriginal Contemporary has an enviable reputation for quality, service and ethical trading; not just with our customers but with the art centres from whom we source our work.

This is in no small part due to owner Nichola Dare’s regular trips to some of the most remote parts of Australia and her ability to build relationships with art centres and artists, based on mutual trust and respect. Nichola’s time in Australia’s Western Desert, The Kimberley, APY Lands and Arnhem Land has also given her a deep understanding of the country and culture at the heart of the art we sell.

Pauline Sunfly - Purnaunnl

Pauline Sunfly - Purnaunnl

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