Ngawa munupula Ngawa Kiripapiranjuwi

TIWI ART is most often identified by a geometric abstraction originating from body paint designs. Light and the dappled surface of the surrounding waters also play a major part in the stories conveyed under the skillful hands of the Munupi artists who apply the earthy opaque colours of ochre to reveal the subtleties of reflection and movement.

Established artist Cornelia Tipuamantumirri reveals her adept use of the kayimwagakimi, an ironwood comb dipped in a monochromatic palette and meditatively dotted to create a sense of light, particularly the surface of the Arafura Sea surrounding her Tiwi home.

Susan Wanji Wanji, originally from Maningrida, and an excellent basket weaver, has been at Munupi Arts since 1990. Adopting a Tiwi aesthetic comes naturally to her artistic sensibilities, she has worked across mediums such as fibre, printmaking and painting and is represented in both national and international collections.

Emerging artist Sandra Puruntatemeri displays the skillful composition of her mentors, and the distinctive patterning created by a limited palette. Sandra uses a pwoja, a carved ironwood comb traditionally used to apply ochre in ceremonial body designs. The process of painting in this way is rhythmic and meditative, a sense of focussed calm emanates from her work, as the shifts in line and tone create a gentle shimmer of light across the surface.
An adaptation of traditional line and design is cleverly narrated by Debbie Coombes. She depicts figurative stories of everyday events such as travelling by car, canoe or aeroplane, aspects that reveal so much of contemporary culture and life on the Tiwi Islands.