Mamaku Katjaku celebrates the work of two prominent Papunya Tjupi artists, Maureen Poulson Napangardi and Carbiene McDonald Tjangala, in their first joint show at Vivien Anderson Gallery.

Mamaku Katjaku represents the skin relationship between the two artists, which, through the kinship system, is like that of a mother and son. Despite their differing inheritance, stories, and family lines, the artists are bound by their skin kinship and shared home at Papunya.

Maureen Poulson Napangardi, born in 1958 in Papunya, is the daughter of Pilyari Napurulla, a respected law woman for Papunya. She is the niece of notable Papunya Tula artist Johnny Warangkula Tjupurrula. The family shares the Country around Ilpilli, Kalipinypa, and Tjikari. Maureen has inherited the Kalipinypa Tjukurrpa (Dreaming), which narrates a significant rain making ceremony, crucial for life and growth, and the ensuing storms.

This Tjukurrpa, passed down through her family, tells of quicksand, sand hills, and water — of great winds, powerful storms, thunder, rain, and even ice. Maureen describes how the wind comes, the sand cools, and the land is transformed.

Maureen’s practice is grounded in law-based expression, using long lines of dots to form diamond motifs that reflect the movement of earth and weather systems. Her method is precise and structured, following a grid-like pattern, yet always animated by the dynamic forces of her Dreaming.

Carbiene McDonald Tjangala, born in Papunya in 1961 to Snowy McDonald, traveled to his father’s homelands as a young man to inherit his Tjukurrpa (Dreaming). This Dreaming encompasses significant waterholes between Docker River and Kata Tjuta, including four key sites: Petermann Ranges, Docker River, Kalaya Murrpu (Blood’s Range), and Mulyayti near Kata Tjuta.

Carbiene adheres to a grid-like visual language, interpreted in his own distinctive way. Beginning his painting practice a decade after Maureen, his Tjukurrpa also centers on water and movement, drawing thematic parallels. Tjangala often tells the story of significant waterholes that span the area between Docker River and Kata Tjuta — sites that appear repeatedly in his work. These places, passed down through his father, are ones he has visited and with which he has formed a deep connection.

While his practice is firmly rooted in inherited Tjukurrpa, Carbiene has developed a unique style characterised by fluid tessellations and square motifs. His work displays a remarkable sense of depth and maturity, particularly notable given that he began painting only in 2018. His distinct artistic vision is shaped by both kinship ties and cultural inheritance.