ABORIGINAL DESERT ART  GALLERY

Bambatua Cambell

Born in the early 40's in Pintupi country Winron across the WA border east of Kiwirrkura, Bambatu Napangardi grew up 'in the bush living a traditional life with her family, hunting and living of the land as the Aboriginal people did for thousands of years before her.

While visiting relatives in Balgo she met Dinni Campbell Tjampitjinpa and got married to him in Balgo. Dinni Campbell’s older brother, ANATJARI Tjampitjinpa, was one of the original artists painting in Papunya. He watched the old men painting during the 70's and assisted his brother Anatjarri for some months. By doing this he gained valuable experience in mixing colours, laying out stories onto canvas and helping to paint.

During one of these visits to Papunya in 1981, Uta Uta Tjangala invited Dinni as one of the men to assist him to paint a very large canvas depicting events at the site of Yumari. To be asked by Uta Uta.to assist in painting was regarded as a great honor. This particular painting has since traveled the world as part of the Aboriginal Art Exhibitions. This was the time when Dinni finished his apprentiship and became an artist in his own right. Dinni has been painting for Michael Hollow Aboriginal Desert Art Gallery, in Alice Springs Melbourne and Sydney since 1991.

Dinni Tjampitjinpa and Bambatu Napangardi have four sons and two Daughters. Sadly Dinni Campbell passed away in Alice Springs Hospital in 2000. Bambatu Napangardi has been an apprentice to Dinni Campbell for many years. Now Bambatu has to support herself and her family. She started painting her own dreamtime stories passed on to her by her Mother and her Father and also her famous husband Dinni Campbell Tjampitjinpa.

The skills and techniques she has learnt from her husband and by watching the old man pain is now applied to her own paintings. Her works are quite typical of the old men and women from Kintore and Papunya. Her paintings traditionally depict women’s ceremonies. The techniques employed here tend to focus on painting in line work and dotting techniques showing Body designs and many traditional symbols seen in Central Desert paintings

. Bambatu loves to paint the dreaming stories of her people and to convey them to the world. The discerning viewer will quickly appreciate that Bambatu’s work display a canopy of brilliant color and magnificent definition celebrating its visual splendor and precision in detail. Bambatu’s daughter Christine Nangala is now apprenticed to her. In this learning time, Bambatu is teaching Christine the skills she has learnt over so many years.

Eventually the dreamtime stories will be passed on to Cristine for safe-keeping. When the time comes Cristine Nangala will pass her knowledge on to her children and those future generations.

Size122 x 122