Imants Tillers
Artwork title: PIKILYI
Medium: synthetic polymer paint, gouache on 16 canvas board panels
Size: 102 × 142 cm
Year: 2026
$32,000
About the Artwork
This painting celebrates the late Walpiri elder, Michael Nelson Jagamara. It depicts the place ‘Pikilyi’ where he was conceived. His nascent identity, host to the so-called spirit-being named ‘White Cockatoo’. But ‘nascent’ – what does it mean? It is the act or condition of coming into existence, beginning to form, grow and develop? This work also celebrates our collaborations over several decades – nascent in 1985. One of these collaborations The Call from Papunya 2018 is in the collection of the Tate Modern in London. IF THERE WERE ANYWHERE BUT DESERT.
About the Artist
Imants Tillers (b.1950) has represented Australia at many significant international exhibitions such as the São Paulo Bienal, Biennale of Sydney, Documenta 7 and Venice Biennale. He has had major retrospectives at Institute of Contemporary Art (UK), Museum of Contemporary Art (MX), National Gallery of Art (AU), Latvian National Museum of Art (LV) and Museum Im Schafstall, (DE). In 2005 Tillers was awarded an honorary doctorate from the UNSW, and in 2025 received the ‘Officer of the Three Stars’ (LV).
Photo: Corinna and Dylan