Ginger Wikilyiri (c1932)

Ginger was born at Kunamata around 1932, a place distinguished by a rocky outcrop south of Nyapari. His father had three wives. Wingu Tingima is the daughter of the first wife, and Ginger the son of his fathers second wife. Ginger is a senior lore man and holds cultural responsibilities for both Kunumata and Piltati. His passion for land management and horticulture has taken him to Israel where he learnt viticulture and arid land management techniques, and to Mutitjulu community, where he worked for many years as a ranger for the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. Ginger Wikilyiri’s marvellously expressive and vibrantly coloured works embody a wealth of traditional knowledge. His works feature in major public institutions and private collections both locally and internationally. "In terms of formal artistic properties, Ginger Wikilyiri’s works are tours de force. In Ngintaka munu Panukura, Wikilyiri’s control over his palette, his figurative rendition of the goanna and the death adders (indicating sorcerer’s intent, in both cases), his use of line and dotting patterning and the work’s overall compositional elements are impressive and inspiring. Wikilyiri’s beautifully made concentric circles, joined in some instances by wavy lines to signal Tingari travelling through the desert, are not only aesthetically pleasing but convey another important dimension of his work. The concentric circles in Ngintaka munu Panukura are indicative of the journeying of the Tingari Ancestors through this vast stretch of country. Tingari are Ancestral figures, Creator Beings, the bringers of Lore and life to the land, who often sing and dance their way across country. In the past, young initiates took long post-initiatory trips to re-trace the footsteps of Tingari Ancestors across the desert. In Ngintaka munu Panukura the Tingari Ancestors sing the sacred songs associated with the Perentie Man - who is one of their own. " Dr Christine Nicholls.