Kumantjayi Nangala Australian, Luritja Warlpiri, b. 1953

Kumanjayi Nangala was born at Haasts Bluff/Ikuntji circa 1933 of Ngaliya/Warlpiri parentsandunexpectedly passed away in January 2020 after a long rich life. Nangala was a director ofPapunya Tjupi right up until her passing and she governed the art centre with incredibleleadership, ambition and care. Nangala was a highly respected senior law woman. Her deeplyfelt knowledge of country and ceremony empowers her bold lyrical and expressive paintings depicting the topography of hills and creeks that create the feeling of flowing water. The great Water Dreaming site of Mikantji she inherited from herfather was nearly always her subject.She said that her Auntie taught her culture and stories but she developed her own ideas onhow to paint it. She paints "so the children can watch me paint and learn, so I can pass on myDreaming and stories to my grandchildren. Papunya is my mother's brother's country." In thepast, Nangala was a prodigious carver of coolamons and clap sticks and maker of ininitiseednecklaces, but since 2007 she mainly painted-and she also produced prints with CicadaPress College of Fine Arts UNSW. Finalist in the Vincent Lingiari Art Award (2016) andWyndham Art Prize (2019) her works are held in the Artbank Collection and Central LandCouncil Collection.