Yaritji Tingala Young with her work Tjala Tjukurpa – Honey ant story, 2021, in Amata, South Australia. Photo: Luke Byrne. Courtesy: the artist, Tjala Arts and Geelong Gallery, Geelong.

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.