Winpurpurla by Christine Yukenbarri

For Christine and the Warlayirti Artists, the act of painting is more than just painting landscapes, or earning a livelihood. It is about connection, remembering and keeping ancient Country and Tjukurrpa (creation stories and lore) alive. To paint is to sustain life. Christine is the youngest daughter of leading Balgo artist Helicopter Tjungurrayi and the late Lucy Yukenbarri, both exceptional painters in their own right. She learned to paint by sitting with her mother, watching and learning how to paint from a very young age, eventually assisting her mother and then painting her own artworks. South of Balgo is Winpurpurla, a tjurnu (rockhole) in the Great Sandy Desert, and her mother’s ancestral Country. It is a place where women go to collect kumpuparta (bush tomatoes) and lukararra (seed used for making damper). Although Christine was born a long way from this Country and a helicopter is required to visit the site, painting Country is a way of keeping it alive.