Anumara Tjukurpa

Kunmanara Tjupuru Burton was born in the 1930s at Pipalyatjara, in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands of South Australia. As a child he moved to Pukatja (Ernabella) and later settled in Amata, where he took up painting. In 2003 he became the first male artist to join Tjala Arts (formerly Minymaku Arts) and encouraged many other men to paint. A senior artist, religious minister, cultural law man and council member, Burton worked tirelessly leading his community while forging an international career as an artist in his own right.

Anumara Tjukurpa, 2011, details the ancestral creation story of the large edible caterpillar that is associated with important kinship ceremonies relating to the northern and southern APY Lands and the artist’s traditional homelands. The painting is a magnificent demonstration of Burton’s artistic authority and his deep cultural connections. His controlled use of colour and bold rhythmic linework elegantly transcribe traditional Anangu law and culture into a dynamic visual language, which vibrates off the canvas.

In 2014, Burton received the prestigious Red Ochre Award from the Australia Council for the Arts, in recognition of his outstanding lifetime achievement and his contribution to Aboriginal art and culture. His legacy lives on in his extraordinary gift to Australian art and the promotion of Aboriginal culture.

Celia Dottore, Project Manager, Tarnanthi