Beryl Jimmy

Skin name:            Nangala

Date of birth:       18.12.1970

From:                    Watarru – SA

Community:          Nyapari – SA

Beryl Jimmy is a Pitjantjatjara woman living at the community settlement of Watarru, in the far northwest of South Australia, part of an area referred to as the Western desert. She was born in 1970. Beryl’s work is inspired by a deep connection to country, and her spiritual links to the desert are expressed with integrity, beauty and creativity. Traditional knowledge of food collection and water sources were vital for survival in this dynamic desert landscape and is a prominent theme in her work.

This cultural knowledge is handed down orally in the retelling of the Tjukurpa (traditional stories of the ancestor’s journeys), which not only sustains Anangu (Aboriginal people) physically, but socially and spiritually.

Tjukurpa painting depicts a fragment of a larger story, a living history where an ancestor was involved in creating country. Individuals have authority and ownership of this land and the associated sites and stories. The maintenance of this country is paramount to artists of Watarru and they continue to care and manage the land with respect and responsibility.

Collections

Deakin University, Melbourne, VIC

Flinders University, Adelaide SA

National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, ACT

The Beat Knoblacuch Collection, Switzerland

The Lepley Collection, Perth, WA

Parliament House, Adelaide, SA

Primary Industry and Resources, Adelaide, SA

Department of Environment and Heritage, SA

Australian National University, Canberra, ACT

The Parliament House Collection, Canberra, ACT

University of Canberra, Canberra, ACT

Awards

2017 Finalist, Wynne Prize

2016 Finalist 33rd Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award

2013 Finalist 30th Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award

2007 Drawing Together, Caring for Country Award, The Australian Public Service Commission in partnership with the National Archives of Australia and the National Museum of Australia