MITJILI NAPURRULA, Uwalki: Watiya Tjuta, 1999

MITJILI NAPURRULA Pintupi language, c.1945 - 2019 Uwalki: Watiya Tjuta, 1999 acrylic on linen 108 x 72.5 cm bears inscription verso: Mitjili Napurrula, IK99MN43, Ikuntji Women's Centre, 71x107; Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi label adhered verso PROVENANCE Ikuntji Women's Art Centre (Ikuntji Artists), Northern Territory, Cat No. IK99MN43 Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Victoria Corporate Collection, Victoria This painting depicts Uwalki, the Country of Mitjili Napurrula's father, located south of Kintore within the expansive sandhill landscape known as tali pulka. The Tjukurrpa of Uwalki is closely associated with the spear-making story also depicted by Mitjili's brother, Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula. Of particular significance in Mitjili's work are the trees of this Country, especially the white gums, whose timber has traditionally been used to fashion tools, weapons and ceremonial implements, including nulla nullas. The landscape of Uwalki is distinguished by sweeping sandhills, stands of desert oak (kurrkarra) and small bushes known as pukarra, which grow throughout the sandy terrain. The roots of these plants contain valuable drinking water, providing an essential resource in the arid desert environment. Through her characteristic interpretation of these natural forms, Mitjili Napurrula expresses the enduring relationship between Country, ancestral knowledge and cultural practice. Her paintings celebrate both the distinctive vegetation of Uwalki and the Tjukurrpa that gives this landscape its profound cultural significance. © MITJILI NAPURRULA / Copyright Agency, 2026

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