- Artist: Conrad Kamilowra Tipungwuti
- Art Centre: Jilamara Arts and Crafts
- Region: Tiwi Islands
Artwork Story
Conrad Tipungwuti has been painting and creating limited edition prints at Jilamara Arts and Crafts Association since the late 1990’s. Alongside Timothy Cook, Conrad is part of the Ngawa Mantawi (all of us together) program at Jilamara – a program that supports artists with special needs to have successful careers in the arts while remaining close to family and Country.
Conrad grew up in the “old camp” at Pirlangimpi (Garden Point) with his parents. While it no longer exists, the old camp is spoken about as a community of wulimawi (the old people) and Conrad was raised surrounded by strong culture and regular ceremonies. His Tiwi name is Kamilowra and this was given to him by the famous artist Cornelia Tipuamantumirri’s late husband Steven Tipuamantumirri. After his parents passed away, he moved to Nguiu and then Milikapiti to live with his aunt and uncle. They lived next door to Jilamara Arts and Conrad joined the art centre soon after.
Conrad paints using ochres or earth pigments sourced from around Milikapiti. The over-arching themes of his work depict the wet season Pakatiringa (rain) and the Kulama initiation ceremony. This is represented by large concentric circles that refer both to the yams prepared during the ceremony and large rings that appear around the moon in late wet season signifying the beginning of the Kulama season.
AWARDS:
2001 26th Annual Shell Fremantle Print Award Fremantle Art Centre
2010 Finalist in the TOGART Art Award, Darwin NT
2011 Finalist in the TOGART Art Award, Darwin NT
2013 Finalist WA Indigenous Art Awards, Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth
2013 Finalist in TOGART Award, Darwin, NT
COLLECTIONS HELD:
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne Victoria.
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra.
Du Musee des Confluences, Paris, France
Charles Darwin University Collection
Murdoch University Collection, Perth
Edith Cowan University Art Collection, Perth
Artbank Australia
Queensland University Art Museum
Stokes Collection, Victoria
Kerry Stokes Collection, Perth WA
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Bennett, J. ‘Ngingingawala Jilamara kapi purunguparri (Our Bark Paintings),’ Gallery Monthly Magazine of the National Gallery Society of Victoria, September 1992
Bennett, J ‘Narrative and decoration in Tiwi painting: Tiwi representations of the Purukuparli Story,’ Art Bulletin of Victoria 33, 39-47. 1993
The Body Tiwi Aboriginal Art from Melville and Bathurst Islands, exhib. cat., The University Gallery, University of Tasmania at Launceston 1993
Art of the Tiwi from the Collection of the National Gallery of Victoria, catalogue, NGV Melbourne 1994
Cote,M. Aborigenes – Collections australiennes contemporaines du musee des Confluences 2008 – page 104
Nicholas Rothwell, The Australian, Bright Eyes See it All, 2010
Jilamara Arts & Craft, Tiwi Shima catalogue 2010
Jilamara Arts & Craft W/ Outstation Gallery, Nginimuwila kulama, our kulama catalogue 2011
2013 Catalogue Western Australian Indigenous Art Awards 2013,
© Jilamara Arts and Crafts