Tjapartji Kanytjuri Bates (1933–2015), also spelt Taparti, was an Australian Aboriginal artist based in

Warakurna Warakurna is a large Aboriginal community, located in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia, within the Shire of Ngaanyatjarraku and is situated on the Great Central Road (part of the Outback Way ultimately connecting Perth to ...

, Wanarn, and Warburton communities in the

Gibson Desert The Gibson Desert is a large desert in Western Australia, largely in an almost "pristine" state. It is about in size, making it the fifth largest desert in Australia, after the Great Victoria, Great Sandy, Tanami and Simpson deserts. The ...

. She was of the Ngaanyatjarra people. Known to be active from 1991, her work incorporates media of paint, canvas, glass and felt, and is particularly centred around interpretations of

Tjukurrpa The Dreaming, also referred to as Dreamtime, is a term devised by early anthropologists to refer to a religio-cultural worldview attributed to Australian Aboriginal beliefs. It was originally used by Francis Gillen, quickly adopted by his co ...

from her mother and father. Bates was a prolific artist and her work has been shown in over 20 exhibitions, as well as the National Gallery of Victoria and the National Gallery of Australia.

Early life

Bates was born around 1933 in Yinunmaru, in the Gibson Desert. Her name was sometimes spelt Taparti, and she was also known as Kanytjuri. Her skin group was Karimarra.

Career

In the early 1990s, she joined the Warburton Arts Project, which owns the "largest collection of Indigenous art in Australia that is held by Aboriginal people themselves", where she produced her first known work, ''Kungkarrangkalpa at Wanarn'', in 1991. In the late 1990s, Bates returned to Wanarn and continued to paint. Near the end of her life, she became a resident at the Wanarn Aged Care Facility, which offers a weekly painting program in conjunction with the Warakurna Arts Centre. Her style at this time became looser and more abstract. In addition to work produced through this program, Bates also painted on the materials around her at the facility, including pieces of cardboard and pillowcases.

Themes and style

Bates' art is focused on

from her mother and father, particularly Kungarrangkalpa (Seven Sisters) and Warmarrla Tjukurrpa, and features distinctive styles of "unusual symmetries and circular motifs," as well as "traditional motifs and iconographic forms".

Awards

In 1998, Bates was awarded the Normandy Heritage Art Prize at the

National Indigenous Heritage Art Awards The Australian Heritage Commission (AHC), was the Australian federal government authority established in 1975 by the ''Australian Heritage Commission Act 1975'' as the first body to manage natural and cultural heritage in Australia until its de ...

, organised by the

Australian Heritage Commission The Australian Heritage Commission (AHC), was the Australian federal government authority established in 1975 by the ''Australian Heritage Commission Act 1975'' as the first body to manage natural and cultural heritage in Australia until its de ...

. Her winning work was a large slump glass panel.

Exhibitions

Bates' works were displayed posthumously as part of '' Songlines: Tracking the Seven Sisters'', a collaborative exhibition between senior custodians of Aboriginal lands in the

Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

and Western deserts and the National Museum of Australia, among other partners. Bates' work in the exhibition (which ran from September 2017 to February 2018 at the NMA) illustrates and interprets Seven Sisters songlines. The exhibition continues to tour internationally, until 2024/5 and has been shown in

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

, UK; Berlin, Germany; and is still to be shown in Paris, France. The following is a list of other exhibitions of Bates' works.

Collections

Bates' work is also a part of the National Gallery of Victoria Collection, the Marshall Collection, the Merenda Collection, the Lagerberg-Swift Collection, the National Gallery of Australia Collection, the Harriet and Richard England Collection, the Lepley Collection and the W. & V. McGeoch Collection.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bates, Tjapartji Kanytjuri Australian Aboriginal artists 2015 deaths Year of birth uncertain