Scarf Papa Tjukurpa by Jimmy Donegan

Ngayuku mamaku ngura Dulu [translates to, ‘My father’s country. A rockhole called Dulu’.] At this place there are lots of women and men dingos living there, digging up the water and hunting at Pilantjara rockhole in the country area of Dulu. This is papa walka, dog design.” – Jimmy Donegan

Papa Tjukurpa represents a pivotal work for Donegan. In this work, the artist boldly deviates from his signature style of fastidiously detailed dot-work, in a breakthrough piece that is startlingly contemporary.

Donegan paints the Papa Tjukurpa (Dog Dreaming) entrusted to him by his father. The artist’s loosely unfurling circles and spare infilling reveal the inky black depths of the canvas, speaking of a complex ontological system that marries physical and metaphysical worlds. The artist’s compelling use of vibrant, rhythmic line work strikes a harmonious balance with the negative space, chronicling the papa’s journey across Donegan’s homelands.