George Tjungurrayi is a highly respected indigenous artist who, as one of the seminal members of the Papunya Tula, has made a significant contribution to the art world through his unique and powerful artworks. His art is deeply rooted in his cultural heritage and reflects strong connection to the land and ancestral stories. His mature artistic output is distinguished by striking linear paintings conveying ceremonial designs and dreamtime stories of his community.Tjungurrayi is the recipient of numerous awards and accolades for his art, including the prestigious Wynne Prize for landscape painting in 2004, making him the first indigenous artist to receive this award.

Tjungurrayi’s works have been exhibited widely and entered significant public, corporate, and private collections in Australia and abroad, including NGA, NGV, AGNSW, AGSA, AGWA, Groninger Museum (Groninger, the Netherlands), Sammlung Essl (Klosterneuburg, Austria), and Musée national des Arts d’Afrique et d’Océanie (Paris).In the colossal ‘Yam Dreaming’, the artist conceptualises the celebrations associated with the finding, cultivating, harvesting, and consuming the tubular plant, which forms one the essential food staples of the Western Desert indigenous communities.Measuring 181 cm high by 347 cm wide, ‘Yam Dreaming’ is among the most significant works produced by the artist.

Stemming from traditional ancestral ceremony-specific designs, the painting features the artist’s distinctive linear patterns which cover the entire surface of this magisterial work. The simplicity of the stark colour palette of white lines against the background of red ochres produces a hypnotic effect which is simultaneously mesmerising, meditative, and spiritually uplifting.