Tinka (lizard) sculpture

Tjanpi Desert Weavers is a social enterprise of the Ngaanyatjarra Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (NPY) Women’s Council, working with women in the remote Central and Western desert regions who earn an income from contemporary fibre art. Tjanpi (meaning grass in Pitjantjatjara language) represents over 400 Anangu/Yarnangu women artists from 26 remote communities on the NPY lands.

Tjanpi artists use native grasses to make spectacular contemporary fibre art, weaving beautiful baskets and sculptures and displaying endless creativity and inventiveness. Originally developing from the traditional practice of making manguri rings, working with fibre in this way has become a fundamental part of Central and Western desert culture.

Material: Tjanpi (grass), raffia

Dimensions: L60cm x W15cm x H25cm

About the Maker: 

Mary was born in Alice Springs and now lives in Kintore NT. Mary is new to making Tjanpi in 2021. She has been learning from her family including artists Mary Gibson and Winifred Reid. Her first sculpture was a colourful lizard.

Photos: Tjanpi Desert Weavers