Tjungkara Ken

tjungkara ten artworks

Quick Facts

Born: 1 October 1969
Language Group: Pitjantjatjara
Region: Amata, South Australia (APY Lands)
Birthplace: Amata

Tjungkara Ken (born 1969) is a contemporary artist and one of the most prominent and active Indigenous artists of Australia today. She is a prominent figure at the Tjala Arts centre based in the remote community of Amata in the Anangu Pitjantjatjakara (APY) lands of South Australia. Her work is hailed as having an explosive use of colour and a sophisticated interpretation of ancient Anangu law, namely the epic narrative of the Seven Sisters (Minymaku Kungkarangkalpa).

Heritage and the Tjala Arts Legacy

Tjungkara was born in a family of great artistic and cultural status. She is the daughter of Mick Wikilyiri and Paniny Mick, who are both senior artists and highly respected. Being brought up by the creative vibrancy of the APY Lands, Tjungkara observed the finer aspects of Country (Ngayuku Ngura), her elders and the spiritual obligations involved in being a traditional owner.

She started painting in 1997 at Tjala Arts. Throughout the decades, she has assisted in the transformation of the centre into a giant of the contemporary art world to the extent of working alongside her sisters, Yaritji Young, Freda Brady, Maringka Tunkin and Sandra Ken on monumental canvases that reflect the power of family and communal narratives.

Add to Your Collection

Artistic Style: Motion and Topography

Tjungkara Ken’s style is instantly recognisable for its rhythmic intensity and "shimmering" surfaces. Although her work is firmly based in traditional knowledge, her aesthetic style is daring and contemporary. Her visual language consists of key elements that include:

tjungkara ten paintings

Complex Layering

She frequently uses the method of overlapping dots and lines to give a feeling of vibrant motion, resembling the heat haze of the desert or the movement of ancestral beings.

tjungkara ten painting for sale

Vibrant Palette

In contrast to the warmer ochres of the Western Desert, Tjungkara employs an enormous range of colours, deep purples and fiery oranges through to electric blues, to depict the shifting light on the land.

tjungkara ten artworks

Aerial Perspective

Her paintings function as spiritual maps, viewing the land from above to trace the paths of ancestors and the physical features of Country, Kulata Tjuta.

The Minymaku Kungkarangkalpa (Seven Sisters)

The main theme of the work of Tjungkara is the Seven Sisters Dreaming. It is an origin story that traverses the Australian continent, tracking seven sisters who are hunted by a strong sorcerer (usually linked to the constellation Orion).

To Tjungkara, the art of painting the Seven Sisters is a cultural preservation. Her canvases trace the sisters' escape across the landscape and indicate where they slept, danced, or concealed themselves. When she brings this epic pursuit to paint, she makes sure that the moral and social laws inherent in the tale are alive to the succeeding generations of Anangu.

Major Awards and International Recognition

Major awards and high-profile exhibitions have characterised the success of Tjungkara Ken in her career. Her work has gone beyond the genre of “ethnographic artwork to become elite contemporary fine art. Highlights include:

Wynne Prize (2016)

She was the winner of the prestigious Roberts Family Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Award at the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

National Works on Paper Award (2018)

A recognition award for her innovative approach to medium and narrative.

Major Collections

Her paintings are held in the National Gallery of Australia, the Art Gallery of South Australia, and the QAGOMA in Brisbane.

In 2017, she was a key contributor to the landmark Songlines: Tracking the Seven Sisters exhibition at the National Museum of Australia, which later toured internationally, further cementing her status as a global cultural ambassador.

Conclusion: A Living Connection to Country

Tjungkara Ken symbolises the strength and changing brilliance of the Aboriginal culture. She is not merely painting landscapes; she is painting life itself, the breathing life of her ancestors, the physical reality of the history of her family.
Her canvases are lively and bring the ancient culture of the APY Lands close to the world of contemporary art, with the goal of her leadership in Tjala Arts. Her work remains an eloquent testament that Indigenous culture in Australia is not an artifact of the past, but a living, breathing entity that is still shifting the frontiers of the contemporary art genre.

tjungkara ten artworks australia

Discover the Mastery of Tjungkara Ken at Mandel Aboriginal Art Gallery

The hypnotising vigour of the APY Lands is best felt in the mesmerising layers and brash colours of a Tjungkara Ken masterpiece. Here, in Mandel Aboriginal Art Gallery, we have the pleasure of displaying the work of prime Indigenous talents, who, like Tjungkara, recreate the sacred stories of the Seven Sisters through unparalleled refinement.

We invite you to visit our gallery and experience the effect of the shimmer of these canvases yourself. Every piece in our collection is carefully chosen based on its artistic quality and cultural importance, which gives the collector firsthand access to the timelessness of the Australian desert.

Experience the vibrant legacy of the APY Lands today.

View Collection