Dolores Tipuamantumirri
Jilamara Design, 2014
Natural ochres with acrylic binder on linen, 120cm x 181cm
Provenance: Martin Brown Contemporary, Sydney.
Jilamara Design, 2014
Natural ochre on canvas, 120cm x 180cm
Provenance: Martin Brown Contemporary, Sydney.
The only child of respected Tiwi elders Cornelia and Steven Tipuamantumirri, Delores Tipuamantumirri lives and works in Pirlamgimpi on Melville Island. Her father was the first Tiwi man to join the Tiwi Land Council, while her mother Cornelia, was a celebrated artist who taught Tipuamantumirri the Tiwi practices of weaving, dancing and hunting. She has continued the sharing of these skills with her children and grandchildren. Tipuamantumirri uses the traditional Tiwi comb for her painting, applying natural ochre tones to linen, creating a moving ripple effect suggesting a thrown fishing net (1).
From the authenticity certificate: All jilamara (design) is originally drawn from the body painting which accompanied the pukumani (funeral) and kulama (initiation/yam) ceremonies. An individual design and aesthetic is highly valued by Tiwi artists and is representative of their person interpretation of the traditional Tiwi design.