Dominic Martin

Dominic Martin Tjupurrula is a respected 'maupun' or medicine man in his country and has been deaf and dumb since birth. He has been associated with Warlyirti Artists at Balgo for many years and continues to paint there. As he was born and spent the early years of his life in Kiwirkurra, his early paintings were commonly in the muted palette and style that the western desert artists became known for following Geoffrey Bardon's introduction of acrylic (synthetic polymer) paint to the community of Papunya during the late 1970s. His imagery of this time described the country of his childhood in abstract terms. His later paintings used a bolder palette, and took on a more figurative and at times, narrative nature and while including goanna, kangaroo and other desert creatures, the inclusion of icons such as aeroplanes, integrated his traditional life with modern influence as contact with white people became more common in these remote communities. Dominic Martin Tjupurrula is represented in private and public collections such as the Holmes à Court Collection, Perth and the National Gallery of Victoria.