Charlie Tjapangati

Charlie Tjapangati was born at the site of Tjulurrunya, Palinpalintjanya, WA, west of Kiwirrkura and north-west of Jupiter Well about 1949. He is the younger brother of Nanyuma Napangati, who also paints for Papunya Tula Artists. Charlie Tjapangati was a young man already initiated when Jeremy Long brought his family into Papunya with one of the last of the Welfare Branch Patrols in 1964. At Papunya he worked as a labourer for rations. His country lies in Pintupi territory across the WA border and west of Jupiter Well. He began painting for Papunya Tula Artists in 1977, having observed the older men painting while living in West Camp, Papunya. He accompanied Billy Stockman and Andrew Crocker to America for an exhibition of the paintings in the Mr Sandman Bring Me a Dream collection, which was the initial purchase of Western Desert art by the Holmes à Court collection. Stories from the Tingari cycle are the usual subject of his paintings. He moved to the newly established Pintupi settlement of Kintore in 1982. In 1999 Charlie contributed to the Kintore mens’ painting as part of the Western Desert Dialysis Appeal.