About Charlie Tjapangati
Charlie was born in the bush at Palipalintjanya North West of Jupiter Well, near Kiwirrkurra, WA. The NT Welfare Branch bought him and his family to Papunya in 1960. At Papunya he worked on construction projects for the community.
Charlie Tjapangati commenced painting for Papunya Tula Artists in 1977, after having observed the older men painting while living in West Camp, Papunya. Stories from the Tingari cycle were the usual subject of his paintings, including the monumental canvas now in the collection of the National Museum of Australia, which was shown in Australian Perspecta 81 at the Art Gallery of NSW, one of the first institutional acts of acknowledgment of Papunya Tula paintings by the Australian contemporary art world. (Vivien Johnson, 2008).
In 1982 Charlie moved to the Pintupi settlement of Kintore. His works generally depict the significant ceremonial story of the Tingari Cycle. The surface narrative elements that are often termed the painting’s ‘story’ or ‘Dreaming’ are only one level of an Aboriginal painting’s true significance. The imagery employed by Aboriginal artists has a deep cultural resonance that often defies simple logic or narrative interpretation. The western viewer can, however, intuitively feel the power of this spiritual resonance without necessarily having to understand the details, which are essential for the initiated only.
In 2000 Charlie travelled to Sydney with a group of four men from Kiwirrkurra to make a ground painting at the Art Gallery of New South Wales for the opening of Papunya Tula: Genesis and Genius. He has appeared in many group exhibitions and two solo exhibitions since his career began. His work is included in major collections such as those of the National Gallery of Australia, the University of Virginia, USA, and the Museums and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory. His older sister Nanyuma Napangati and half-sister Bombatu Napangati live there as well.