Artist: Tiger Palpatja

D'Lan Contemporary New York presents a solo exhibition of paintings by renowned Australian First Nations artist, Tiger Palpatja (c. 1920 – 2012) from the Aṉangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY Lands) in South Australia.

Born into a traditional, nomadic life around 1920 near Nyapari, Palpatja later worked as a shearer and fencer on the Ernabella mission. He was also a highly respected senior Law man and a ngangkaṟi (traditional healer) within his community, embodying deep spiritual and cultural knowledge.

Palpatja began painting late in life, at Tjala Arts in Amata in 2004 when he was approximately 84 years old. Though his artistic career was brief, his extraordinary talent and his work, characterised by a vibrant, distinctive colour palette and depictions of the Piltati Tjukurpa, quickly garnered critical acclaim. He was a finalist in the National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award numerous times (2005, 2006, 2010, 2011) and the Western Australian Indigenous Art Awards in 2009 and 2011.

Palpatja's legacy endures through his powerful paintings, which are held in major public collections such as the National Gallery of Australia and the National Gallery of Victoria.