Artist: Barry Kantilla | Title: Tiwi Bird | Year: 2021 | Medium: ochres on carved ironwood | Dimensions: 32 x 9.5 cm
PROVENANCE
Ngaruwanajirri Inc., Bathurst Island Cat No. 786-21
ARTWORK STORY
The roots of Barry Kantilla’s art are tied to the fundamental Tiwi creation story. This classic morality tale is the equivalent in Tiwi Culture to that of the Ramayana or Mahabarata in Asia and India, or Adam and Eve and their fall from grace amongst Christians. In the Tiwi version of creation, Bima, the wife of Purukapali, makes love to her brother in law while her son Jinani, left lying under a tree in the sun, dies of exposure. Purukapali becomes enraged and after his wife is transformed into a night curlew he begins an elaborate mourning ceremony for his son. This was the first Pukumani (mortuary) ceremony, and tells how death first came to the Tiwi Islands.
The practice of Tiwi figure and animal carving stems from Pukumani funeral carving: spectacular carved and painted poles that are placed around the grave during ceremonies for the dead. This figurative element is in keeping with the longstanding innovative and evolving nature of the Tiwi artistic tradition, even though it developed at the time of European arrival and influence.
Pukumani denotes a taboo and is a period of time in which certain tasks are forbidden, including the speaking of the deceased’s name. This accounts somewhat for the plethora of names that Tiwi often have or use and which have often confused outsiders. The dramatic rituals of Pukumani are mythic in origin. The enacting of the story of how death came into the world is performed over days. It is a story of human desire and misdemeanour that brought to a close an Eden-like creation period, similar to the Dreamtime. Artistic talent has always been greatly admired and rewarded in Tiwi culture, encouraging a committed professionalism amongst individuals and whole families. This in turn has allowed for a fascinating degree of creative control and experimentation within it. This explains the verve and vigour of these funerary carvings, even in the face of human mortality.
The electrifying geometric designs of Tiwi art reverberate with an energy and meaning that has been condensed and abstracted from the lived experience of generations. The dances that accompany the installation of Pukamani poles are no less riveting.
Artist Profile
COMMUNITY/REGION
Bathurst Island Tiwi, NT
LANGUAGE
Tiwi
BIOGRAPHY
Barry Kantilla is a celebrated Tiwi carver, known for his skilled carving of Tutini (Pukumani poles) and painted depictions of significant Tiwi ancestral figures like Purukapali, Bima, and Tapara.
In 2005, he collaborated with David Tipuamantumirri on a commissioned piece for the Dutch Ambassador to Australia, and in 2008, he created a Tutini commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Tiwi Land Council. Kantilla was also commissioned to carve a Tutini for the entrance of Wurrumiyanga Cemetery in 2008, supported by Commonwealth funding.
His talent continues to gain recognition, and in 2022, he, along with Gordon and David Tipuamantumirri and Graham Tipungwuti, was selected for the prestigious Wynne Prize at the Art Gallery of New South Wales for their collaborative piece, First Death on the Tiwi Islands.
REFERENCES
Aboriginal & Pacific Art. (2023). Barry Kantilla, Tiwi Bird.
Ngaruwanajirri. (n.d.). Artists | Barry Kantilla.
PROVENANCE
Ngaruwanajirri Inc., Bathurst Island Cat No. 786-21
ARTWORK STORY
The roots of Barry Kantilla’s art are tied to the fundamental Tiwi creation story. This classic morality tale is the equivalent in Tiwi Culture to that of the Ramayana or Mahabarata in Asia and India, or Adam and Eve and their fall from grace amongst Christians. In the Tiwi version of creation, Bima, the wife of Purukapali, makes love to her brother in law while her son Jinani, left lying under a tree in the sun, dies of exposure. Purukapali becomes enraged and after his wife is transformed into a night curlew he begins an elaborate mourning ceremony for his son. This was the first Pukumani (mortuary) ceremony, and tells how death first came to the Tiwi Islands.
The practice of Tiwi figure and animal carving stems from Pukumani funeral carving: spectacular carved and painted poles that are placed around the grave during ceremonies for the dead. This figurative element is in keeping with the longstanding innovative and evolving nature of the Tiwi artistic tradition, even though it developed at the time of European arrival and influence.
Pukumani denotes a taboo and is a period of time in which certain tasks are forbidden, including the speaking of the deceased’s name. This accounts somewhat for the plethora of names that Tiwi often have or use and which have often confused outsiders. The dramatic rituals of Pukumani are mythic in origin. The enacting of the story of how death came into the world is performed over days. It is a story of human desire and misdemeanour that brought to a close an Eden-like creation period, similar to the Dreamtime. Artistic talent has always been greatly admired and rewarded in Tiwi culture, encouraging a committed professionalism amongst individuals and whole families. This in turn has allowed for a fascinating degree of creative control and experimentation within it. This explains the verve and vigour of these funerary carvings, even in the face of human mortality.
The electrifying geometric designs of Tiwi art reverberate with an energy and meaning that has been condensed and abstracted from the lived experience of generations. The dances that accompany the installation of Pukamani poles are no less riveting.
Artist Profile
COMMUNITY/REGION
Bathurst Island Tiwi, NT
LANGUAGE
Tiwi
BIOGRAPHY
Barry Kantilla is a celebrated Tiwi carver, known for his skilled carving of Tutini (Pukumani poles) and painted depictions of significant Tiwi ancestral figures like Purukapali, Bima, and Tapara.
In 2005, he collaborated with David Tipuamantumirri on a commissioned piece for the Dutch Ambassador to Australia, and in 2008, he created a Tutini commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Tiwi Land Council. Kantilla was also commissioned to carve a Tutini for the entrance of Wurrumiyanga Cemetery in 2008, supported by Commonwealth funding.
His talent continues to gain recognition, and in 2022, he, along with Gordon and David Tipuamantumirri and Graham Tipungwuti, was selected for the prestigious Wynne Prize at the Art Gallery of New South Wales for their collaborative piece, First Death on the Tiwi Islands.
REFERENCES
Aboriginal & Pacific Art. (2023). Barry Kantilla, Tiwi Bird.
Ngaruwanajirri. (n.d.). Artists | Barry Kantilla.