Milpatjunanyi

Milpatjunanyi: Contemporary drawing from the APY Lands celebrates the profound importance of drawing in Anangu culture. Showcasing artists from the APY Lands, Coober Pedy and Adelaide, Milpatjunanyi includes a diverse range of works – from paintings, works on paper to ceramics and woven sculptures – that activate the deeply held value of drawing and its essential role in forging tangible connections to story, law and culture.

Milpatjunanyi is the telling of stories in the sand with a piece of wire or a stick. It is a thriving cultural tradition that continues with joyful commitment across APY communities. Girls and women will often use milpatjunanyi to discuss and reflect on the happenings of daily life: sitting in groups, tapping rhythms to spoken words and drawing pictures in the earth, personal and familial stories of life on the Lands are shared.

The practice is also an essential vehicle for passing on the oral history of the Aṉangu people. There are classic milpatjunanyi stories told by older women in the evening around the fire, to entertain each other and put children to sleep. These stories celebrate Tjukurpa (cultural law) and describe the songlines that course through Country and track the movements of the ancestral creators.

Today, milpatjunanyi has diverse applications and forums. As well as being found in the rock art of the region, its visual language of marks, patterns and forms is embedded in the art of contemporary Anangu artists.

Milpatjunanyi: Contemporary drawing from the APY Lands launched at APY Gallery Adelaide during Tarnanthi Festival 2023.