Justin Corby Tjungurrayi (b. 1982) is a Luritja artist who was born in Kintore. During his childhood Tjungurrayi lived in and around Kintore on the border of the Northern Territory and Western Australia. The son of Papunya artist Lindsay Corby Tjapaltjarri, he started painting at 25. His artwork focuses on his father's story of the Kanpi Tjukurrpa (Emu Dreaming) in his own distinctive style, using bold forms and bright colours. Now based in Haasts Bluff, 230 km west of Alice Springs, he paints with Ikuntji Artists and works as an assistant teacher. Tjungurrayi had a solo exhibition at Metro 5 Gallery in Melbourne in 2008 and has exhibited at group shows in the Northern Territory and Victoria.
From 2006 to 2010, Greg Weight travelled extensively through central Australia meeting and photographing contemporary artists. This photograph of Tjungurrayi is one of the portraits included in his resulting book Artists of the Western Desert (2011).
Gift of Patrick Corrigan AM 2020. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.
© Gregory Weight/Copyright Agency, 2024
Patrick Corrigan AM (130 portraits)
On one level The Companion talks about the most famous and frontline Australians, but on another it tells us about ourselves.
Greg Weight on working with Jiawei Shen, and starting out as a photographer.
Portraits of philanthropists in the collection honour their contributions to Australia and acknowledge their support of the National Portrait Gallery.