

Watiya Tjuta Luggage Tag Embroidered Leather
by Mitjili Napurrula; $20

Watiya Tjuta Table Runner Black on White
by Mitjili Napurrula; $101

Watiya Tjuta Table Runner Yellow Navy and Pink
by Mitjili Napurrula; $101

Uwulkari – Watiya Tjuta
by Mitjili Napurrula; $1,000

Watiya Tjuta Table Runner Orange Mustard Black and Blue
by Mitjili Napurrula; $101

Uwulkari – Watiya Tjuta
by Mitjili Napurrula; $1,000

Uwulkari – Watiya Tjuta
by Mitjili Napurrula; $500

Uwulkari – Watiya Tjuta
by Mitjili Napurrula; $500

Watiya Tjuta – Knitted Cotton Throw – Black & White
by Mitjili Napurrula; $109

Watiya Tjuta – Velvet Clutch with Wrist Strap by Mitjili Napurrula
by Mitjili Napurrula; $40

Nelly Clutch (various designs)
by Alice Nampitjinpa Dixon, Eunice Napanangka Jack, Keturah Zimran, Lisa Multa, Mavis Marks, Mitjili Napurrula

Watiya Tjuta Rug Wool (B&W) Extra Large
by Mitjili Napurrula; $1,136

Watiya Tjuta – Summer Scarf Scarf by Mitjili Napurrula
by Mitjili Napurrula; $40

Ikuntji Textiles Book (Pre-Order)
by Albie Jack, Alice Nampitjinpa Dixon, Alison Napurrula Multa, Ann Lane nee Dixon, Daphne Marks, Eunice Napanangka Jack, Gordon Butcher, Jeffrey Jackson, Kelly Dixon, Keturah Zimran, Leonie Kamutu, Lisa Multa, Mavis Marks, Mitjili Napurrula; $69

Watiya Tjuta – Women’s Velvet Toiletry Bag by Mitjili Napurrula
by Mitjili Napurrula; $38

Watiya Tjuta – Organic Cotton Scarf by Mitjili Napurrula
by Mitjili Napurrula; $45

‘Watiya Tjuta’ (B&W) Toddler Dress
by Mitjili Napurrula; $80

‘Watiya Tjuta’ (White) Toddler Shortalls
by Mitjili Napurrula; $90

Watiya Tjuta – Cotton Tablecloth by Mitjili Napurrula
by Mitjili Napurrula; $66

‘Watiya Tjuta’ (Black) Baby Shortalls
by Mitjili Napurrula; $90

Kelly Coin Purse (various designs)
by Alice Nampitjinpa Dixon, Keturah Zimran, Leonie Kamutu, Mavis Marks, Mitjili Napurrula; $25

Watiya Tjuta blue cushion cover
by Mitjili Napurrula; $65

Watiya Tjuta – Table Runner by Mitjili Napurrula
by Mitjili Napurrula; $36

Watiya Tjuta Rug Wool (Three Colours – Dust Red)
by Mitjili Napurrula; $759

Watiya Tjuta Green & Orange Cushion Cover
by Mitjili Napurrula

Watiya Tjuta Black & White Cushion Cover
by Mitjili Napurrula; $65

Lauren Envelope Purse (Various designs)
by Alice Nampitjinpa Dixon, Eunice Napanangka Jack, Keturah Zimran, Lisa Multa, Mavis Marks, Mitjili Napurrula; $70

Watiya Tjuta Embroidered Purse
by Mitjili Napurrula; $78

Zara Pouch Small (various designs)
by Alice Nampitjinpa Dixon, Eunice Napanangka Jack, Keturah Zimran, Mitjili Napurrula; $28

Watiya Tjuta Tiny Cosmetic Bag – Leather
by Mitjili Napurrula

Donna Purse (various designs)
by Alice Nampitjinpa Dixon, Eunice Napanangka Jack, Keturah Zimran, Mavis Marks, Mitjili Napurrula; $55

Watiya Tjuta – Shoulder Tote Bag
by Mitjili Napurrula; $60

Watiya Tjuta Fabric – Copper (Silk)
by Mitjili Napurrula; $85

Frankie (large) Crossbody Bag (various designs)
by Alice Nampitjinpa Dixon, Keturah Zimran, Mavis Marks, Mitjili Napurrula; $99

Watiya Tjuta Fabric -Gold (Tangerine Silk)
by Mitjili Napurrula; $85

Frida Tote Bag (various designs)
by Alice Nampitjinpa Dixon, Eunice Napanangka Jack, Keturah Zimran, Lisa Multa, Mavis Marks, Mitjili Napurrula; $99

Watiya Tjuta Fabric – Rose Ink on Maroon (Cotton)
by Mitjili Napurrula; $55

Watiya Tjuta Fabric – Gold (Silk)
by Mitjili Napurrula; $85

Watiya Tjuta Fabric – White on Black (Tencel Linen)
by Mitjili Napurrula; $55

Watiya Tjuta Screen-Printed T-Shirt (Red bamboo)
by Mitjili Napurrula; $70

Watiya Tjuta Embroidered Coin Purse
by Mitjili Napurrula; $30

Carla Purse (various designs)
by Alice Nampitjinpa Dixon, Keturah Zimran, Mitjili Napurrula; $55

Watiya Tjuta Tiny Cosmetic Bag – Velvet
by Mitjili Napurrula; $18

Watiya Tjuta – Pencil Box
by Mitjili Napurrula; $31

Watija Tjuta black cushion cover
by Mitjili Napurrula; $65

Watiya Tjuta Leather Clutch
by Mitjili Napurrula; $47

Charlotte Bag (various designs)
by Alice Nampitjinpa Dixon, Keturah Zimran, Mavis Marks, Mitjili Napurrula; $75

Pencil Case (various designs)
by Alice Nampitjinpa Dixon, Eunice Napanangka Jack, Keturah Zimran, Leonie Kamutu, Mavis Marks, Mitjili Napurrula; $27

Lotus (medium) Crossbody Bag
by Alice Nampitjinpa Dixon, Eunice Napanangka Jack, Keturah Zimran, Mitjili Napurrula; $75

Lola Bag (various designs)
by Alice Nampitjinpa Dixon, Eunice Napanangka Jack, Keturah Zimran, Mavis Marks, Mitjili Napurrula; $79

Watiya Tjuta Leather Shoulder Bag
by Mitjili Napurrula; $60

Nancy Crossbody Bag
by Alice Nampitjinpa Dixon, Eunice Napanangka Jack, Keturah Zimran, Mavis Marks, Mitjili Napurrula; $89

Watiya Tjuta – Tote Bag
by Mitjili Napurrula; $18

Watiya Tjuta Screen-printed Wide Tote Bag
by Mitjili Napurrula; $70

Zara Pouch Medium (various designs)
by Alice Nampitjinpa Dixon, Eunice Napanangka Jack, Keturah Zimran, Mitjili Napurrula; $48

Anita Tote Bag
by Alice Nampitjinpa Dixon, Eunice Napanangka Jack, Keturah Zimran, Mavis Marks, Mitjili Napurrula

Watiya Tjuta – Digital Pouch by Mitjili Napurrula
by Mitjili Napurrula; $20

Watiya Tjuta Fabric – Silver (Silk)
by Mitjili Napurrula; $85

Delia (Medium) Crossbody Bag
by Alice Nampitjinpa Dixon, Eunice Napanangka Jack, Keturah Zimran, Lisa Multa, Mavis Marks, Mitjili Napurrula

Juliette Crossbody Bag (Various designs)
by Alice Nampitjinpa Dixon, Keturah Zimran, Mavis Marks, Mitjili Napurrula
Biography
Mitjili Napurrula was born in 1945 at Papunya, 200 kilometres West of Alice Springs. She is the daughter of Tupa Tjakamarra (now deceased) and Tjunkiya Napatljarri. Her mother, Tjunkayi Napaltjarri, was a Pintupi/Luritja woman from Yumari who also became an artist of public repute. Her mother ‘came in’ from the drought-stricken Pintupi/Lurjita country seeking refuge and rations in the remote community of Haasts Bluff (Ikuntji). Along with her extended family, she was settled at Papunya, where Mitjili was born.
Dispossession and drought were only two of the factors that led to a series of migrations from the desert to mission or government settlements in the mid-twentieth century. Following the outstation movement of the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, Aboriginal communities sprang up throughout the region, each home to a distinctive art movement.
Like many of her generation, Mitjili witnessed the genesis of the Papunya Tula art movement and the artistic contribution made by members of her immediate family. Mitjili’s brother, Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula, was one of the founding members of the Papunya Tula Artists cooperative.
Mitjili grew up in Papunya and moved to Haasts Bluff with her late husband Long Tom Tjapanangka in the late 1980’s during the outstation movement. The couple started painting at Ikuntji in 1992 with the opening of Ikuntji Women’s Centre, both contributing significantly to the emerging art movement there. She gained an international following after winning the Alice Springs Art Prize in 1999.
In Mitjili’s winning painting, Untitled (1999), coagulated white pigment eddies around abstract forms that refer to the Watiya Tjuta (desert oak/spearwood trees) used to make kulatas (spears). The tightly structured patterning of the key motifs and bold use of colour demonstrates the artist’s confidence in her individual artistic vision within a family of superlative artists – and the cultural heritage that continues to inform the myriad expressions of Western Desert artists.
The Watiya Tjuta in Mitjili’s paintings is her father’s Tjukurrpa (dreaming) in Ilyingaungau country (Gibson Desert). This was passed down to her by her mother; she remembers “…After I got married, my mother taught me my father’s Tjukurrpa in the sand, that’s what I’m painting on the canvas”, a women’s interpretation.
Mitjili and her brother, Tjupurrula had the same father, Tupa Tjakamarra, from whom they both inherited the right to paint works related to Ilyingaungau. This site, south of Walungurru (Kintore), some 520 kilometres west of Mparntwe (Alice Springs), is where the artist’s Mutikatjirri ancestors assembled their kulata (spears) for a conflict with the Tjukula men. Allusive works that refer to the straightening of kulata by Tjupurrula are among the landmark paintings of the movement’s history.
Mitjili lived at an outstation close to Papunya where she continued to paint in her later years, along side her family and fellow artists such as Ann Lane nee Dixon. Mitjili passed away in April 2019.
Collections
- National Gallery of Australia, Canberra
- National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
- Flinders University Art Museum, Adelaide
- Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney
- Artbank
- Araluen Arts Centre, Alice Springs
- Edith Cowan University Art Collection, Perth
- MUSEUM AND ART GALLERY OF THE NORTHERN TERRITORY, DARWIN
Current Exhibitions
Upcoming Exhibitions
Past Exhibitions
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London Fashion Show, London Pacific Fashion Week Ended
-
Dublin Fashion Show, London Pacific Fashion Week in Dublin Ended
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Frock on! at Afterpay Australian Fashion Week, Sydney Ended
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Donate to print our Ikuntji Textiles book Ended
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Finalists! Hazelhurst Art on Paper Award 2021 Ended
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Ikuntji Artists Finalist in 2021 Banyule Award for Works in Paper Ended
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Finalists – Banyule Award for Works on Paper 2021 Ended
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Ikuntji Artists Goes to Paris Ended
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DENFAIR 2022, Melbourne. Ended
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IOTA21 CONFERENCE AND FASHION EVENT – ‘Curiosity and the Cloth’ Ended
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Frock On 2021! Exhibition and Awards Night EndedFrom Left to Right; Dress by Indriani Tungka(Fabric by Alice Nampitjinpa Dixon), Ebony Williams(Fabric by Alice Nampitjinpa Dixon), Marcia Russel(Fabric by Alice Nampitjinpa Dixon & Mitjili Napurrula), Olga Bruykevets(Fabric by Mavis Marks) -
THE SELVEDGE WORLD FAIR – A VIRTUAL CELEBRATION OF CLOTH, CULTURE & CREATIVITY Ended
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Weaving Culture – Textiles aborigènes contemporains – Exhibition, France. Ended
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From Country to Couture 2020 Ended"Country to Couture 2020, Image by George F Photography" -
Finalist in The Design Files + Laminex Design Awards 2020! EndedBox top and bush skirt featuring Alice Nampitjinpa's design. -
Ikuntji Artists X Flying Fox Fabrics Collaboration EndedKelly Dixon with Purses and bag featuring her mother, Alice Nampitjinpa's designs. -
Ikuntji Textiles exhibition, Central Craft in Alice Springs Ended
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National Indigenous Fashion Awards 2020 Ended
- Fashion Goes Indigenous – Aboriginal Art Directory Ended
- ‘Congratulations To The Nominees Of The Inaugural National Indigenous Fashion Awards’ – Marie clair Ended
- Mitjili Napurrula and Eunice Napanangka Jack finalists in Megalo International Print Prize 2020! Ended
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Ikuntji X Magpie Goose Collection launch EndedMitjili Napurrula's 'Watiya Tjuta' Design in the Bush Skirt and Singlet Top. -
Meet the artist and official opening – Ikuntji Textiles Exhibition EndedKelly Dixon printing design by Mitjili Napurrula. -
‘New directions in print-making’ Exhibition, Salon Indigenous Art Projects, Darwin Endedby Mitjili Napurrula
- Hazelhurst Art on Paper Award 2021, Hazelhurst Arts Centre NSW 2022-01-22
- The Banyule Award for Works on Paper Award, Banyule VIC 2021-09-17
- Country to Couture 2020, Darwin. 2020-12-03
- Ikuntji textiles Exhibition, Central Craft Alice Springs 2020-09-06
- Pink Salon Art Project, Darwin 2020-02-01
- Desert Mob Market Place 2019 2019-09-07
- Ikuntji Textiles, Central Craft, Alice Springs NT 2019-08-24
- Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair 2019 2019-08-09
- Redrock gallery, June Group Exhibition, Gallery Grand Opening Beijing, P.R China 2019-03-24
- AIATSIS Aboriginal Art Fair 2018, Canberra 2018-12-07
- TARNANTHI Art Fair 2018 2018-10-16
- Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair 2018 2018-08-09
- Watiya Juta | Mitjili Napurrula - Michell Fine Art, Brisbane. 2018-04-03
- 2008 Black & White: Inspired by Landscapes, Kate Owen Gallery, Sydney 2008-09-30
- Redrock gallery, August Group Exhibition, Grand Hyatt Hotel, Beijing, P.R China 2007-07-31
- Redrock gallery, July Group Exhibition China World Exhibition Centre, Beijing P.R China 2007-06-30
- Redrock gallery, Group Exhibition, Relocation Exhibition, South Yarra, Aust 2005-12-31
- Redrock gallery Opening Exhibition, Como Centre, Melbourne 2004-12-31
- Aboriginal Art Galerie Bahr, Speyer, Germany 2001-12-31
- Galerie Knud Grothe, Charlottenlund, Denmark 2000-12-31
- Redrock gallery, November Group Exhibition, International Art Expo, Beijing, P.R China 2000-10-31
- 2000 Beyond the Pale, Adelaide Festival Exhibition, Art Gallery of South Australia 2000-09-30
- Niagara Galleries, Melbourne 1999-12-31
- Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide 1999-12-31
- Aboriginal Art Galerie Bahr, Speyer, Germany 1999-12-31
- Spirit Country: Contemporary Australian Aboriginal Art at the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco 1999 1999-09-30
- Hogarth Galleries, Sydney 1998-12-31
- Araluen Arts Centre, Alice Springs, NT. 1998-12-31
- Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, U.S.A. 1998-12-31
- Flinders Art Museum Flinders University, Adelaide 1998-12-31
- Aboriginal Art Galerie Bahr, Speyer, Germany 1998-12-31
- Spazio Pitti Arte Florence, Italy 1997-12-31
- Araluen Arts Centre, Alice Springs, NT. 1997-12-31
- National Indigenous Heritage Art Award 1998, Australian Heritage Commission, Canberra 1997-12-31
- Niagara Galleries, Melbourne 1997-12-31
- Ian Potter Museum of Art, University of Melbourne 1997-12-31
- Gallery Gondwana, Alice Springs 1997-12-31
- Gallerie Dusseldorf, Perth 1997-12-31
- Framed Gallery, Darwin 1997-12-31
- Art Gallery, Rotterdam, The Netherlands 1997-12-31
- Niagara Galleries, Melbourne 1997-12-31
- Museum and Art Gallery of Northern Territory, Darwin 1997-12-31
- Adelaide Fringe Festival 1998, Adelaide, SA. 1997-12-31
- Ikuntji Tjuta touring exhibition 1997 1997-09-30
- Museum and Art Gallery of Northern Territory, Darwin 1996-12-31
- Hogarth Galleries, Sydney 1996-12-31
- Araluen Arts Centre, Alice Springs, NT. 1996-12-31
- Aboriginal Art Galerie Bahr, Speyer, Germany. 1996-12-31
- Goteborgs Konstforening, Goteborg, Sweden 1996-12-31
- Arnhem Land, The Netherlands 1996-12-31
- Alliance Francaise, Canberra 1996-12-31
- Niagara Galleries, Melbourne 1995-12-31
- Gallerie Australis, Adelaide 1995-12-31
- National Indigenous Heritage Art Award 1996, Australian Heritage Commission, Canberra 1995-12-31
- Museum and Art Gallery of Northern Territory, Darwin 1995-12-31
- "The Meeting Place" - touring exhibition, Australia 1995-12-31
- Museum and Art Gallery of Northern Territory, Darwin 1994-12-31
- Flinders Lane Gallery, Melbourne 1994-12-31
- Hogarth Galleries, Sydney 1994-12-31
- Araluen Arts Centre, Alice Springs, NT. 1994-01-01
- National Indigenous Heritage Art Award 1994, Australian Heritage Commission, Canberra 1994-01-01
- Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne 1994-01-01
- Hotel Shangri-la and Australian High Commision, Singapore. 1994-01-01
- Adelaide Fringe Festival 1994, Adelaide, SA. 1993-12-31
- Art Gallery of N.S.W., Sydney 1993-12-31
- National Indigenous Heritage Art Award 1993, Australian Heritage Commission, Canberra. 1992-12-31