Marawa 2005

Warlimpirrnga Tjapaltjarri, one of the last of the Pintupi people to come in from the desert, made this painting, Marawa, with ochre and acrylic paint. The canvas is covered with undulating lines, forming maze-like patterns in earthy reds and yellows. You can almost feel the artist’s hand moving across the surface, each line a deliberate step in a journey. It reminds me of Agnes Martin, but with a different kind of purpose. I imagine Tjapaltjarri lost in thought, layering line upon line to create a map or a song. Perhaps the painting traces the pathways of his ancestors or tells a story of survival and connection to the land. Each gesture seems to carry a weight of history and memory, echoing through time and space. Like all painters, Tjapaltjarri engages in an ongoing dialogue, a conversation across generations that bridges the personal and the universal.