Kungka Kuṉpu (Strong Women)

Drawn from the Art Gallery of South Australia’s (AGSA) collection, 
Kungka Kuṉpu (Strong Women) showcases major contemporary works by celebrated women artists from the Aṉangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands (APY) – cultural custodians of an oral tradition that epitomises the art of storytelling.

Working individually and collaboratively, these women leaders share an irrepressible desire to create ground-breaking works, deeply embedded with cultural knowledge and rich in ceremonial song and performance.

Presented as part of AGSA’s acclaimed Tarnanthi program, this regional touring exhibition reflects the adaptive genius, energy and dynamism of Aṉangu culture and recognises the APY art movement as a vital source of contemporary art production in Australia today.

Kungka Kuṉpu (Strong Women) tells the inspiring tale of women supporting each other across generations, expressed through exemplary paintings, large-scale woven sculptural installations and moving image. These works centre on caring for Country, mapping significant sites and life sustaining practices of the desert; as well as sharing complex narratives surrounding family obligations and relationships. This includes the well-known Kungkarangkalpa (Seven Sisters) story about women who travel together and look after each other.

“The Seven Sisters story has always been important for Aṉangu women and it is more important today than ever before… This is the power of women leaders. 
We can make all the women coming behind us fly.” - Nyunmiti Burton

_{Header image: Ken Family Collaborative, Tjungkara Ken, Sandra Ken, Freda Brady, Maringka Tunkin, Yaritji Tingila Young and Paniny Mick, with their work Kangkura-KangkuraKu Tjukurpa - A Sister's Story, 2017, image courtesy Ken Family Collaborative/ and Tjala Arts.}