Tjulkiwa Atira Atira

Tjulkiwa was born on 8th January 1951 at Wataru (Mt Lindsay). She is Pitjanjatjara. Her father’s country is Kuntjanu (SA) and her mother is from Walytjitjarta (NT). Her parents are now living at Kalka.Tjulkiwa is married to Michael Atira-Atira and they have two sons, Tjiyangu and Wariri, and four daughters, Kawiny, Yilpi, Lexie and Laurabell.

From 1968, as a school-leaver at Ernabella, Tjulkiwa started learning the various techniques practised in the craftroom of the settlement. She spent much of the next decade away from Ernabella; however, her artistic pursuits continued, and she spent a large amount of this time working at Fregon, producing batik works.

In 1988 she returned to Ernabella and began exploring with acrylics on canvas. By the following year she was working full-time with Ernabella Arts and was a featured artist in the Wirutjuta Exhibition, Araluen Arts Centre, Alice Springs.

In 1990, following the birth of her sixth child, she worked outside Ernabella Arts, further developing her skills with brushes and paint on canvas, and in November was a featured artist in the Two Homes Exhibition at Tandanya Aboriginal Cultural Institute in Adelaide.

In 1991 she moved out with her family to a homeland settlement about 80km from Ernabella, where she continues to paint. In April the SA Dept of Arts leased one of her paintings, Aralya Tjukurpa.

The Art Gallery of SA hold one of Tjulkiwa’s acrylic paintings from 1988. Her subjects for paintings are often scenes from Aralya Tjurkpa and traditional bushfoods from Pitjantjatjara lands.