Ngura Pulka

Ngura Pulka is an APY regional project supported by the APY Art Centre Collective. Senior artists from art centres across the APY Lands, Coober Pedy and Adelaide have been working together, producing large scale artworks that celebrate their epic Country and the powerful Tjukurpa that lies within. Ngura Pulka is the most ambitious artistic project to emerge from the Central Desert to date. Featuring two regional collaborative paintings, 27 individual artworks and one Kulata Tjuta installation, Ngura Pulka is an epic project in scale and scope. An initial unveiling was launched at Bangkok Art Biennale 2022 CHAOS : CALM and we can’t wait to share the full project with audiences in Australia soon.

Ngayulu kulipai cavespangka painting palyara mununa mukuringkupai pulkangka palyatjikitja canvas. Panya caves pulkangku culture-wanangku Nyara paluru ngayuku room pulka ngaranyi tjukurpa, walka walkatjukuntjaku, Ngura kulu pulka ngaranyi puklka nyara palula-nguru nguyulu kulira mukuringkupai pulkamunlata palyatjikitja ngura ngayuku-tjara tjukurpa-wanu.

Our ancestors painted on the caves. This is where I learned my story as a child through the cave paintings around Cave Hill. I think about these caves when I am making a major work. The larger scale canvas’ allow me to invoke the cave as a celebration of my culture. They allow me the room I need to share my story. Ours is a big and important country, I need a canvas that will support me to share that.

Yaritji Young, 2022

Ngayuku mukuringanyi canvas pulkaangka palyatjikitja. Ngayulu putu canvas tjuktjukungka tjukurpa walkatjunanyi. Ngayulu mukuringanyi size kutjupa kutjupangka work palyatjikitja, panya paninting ngura paluru ngayunya wiru nintini kurunta wiru palyanytjaku canvas pangka. Ngayulu nintiringu tjitji tjuku tjuku tjukurpa caves-wanungku picture munu walka Tjuta ngkula nyara cave hillta.

I need to work with scale. It is impossible to capture my story including all its details as it travels through my country in a smaller scale work. I love making works of different sizes, but creating large scale works always gives me the opportunity and motivation to make something special, something powerful.

Nyunmiti Burton, 2022