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b. 1958, Boddington, WA
d. 2017, Ceduna, SA
Language group: Balladong & Pitjantjatjara
Pungkai was born Peter Bertani to an Italian immigrant father and a Nyoongar mother. In 1980 he moved to Nyapari, a tiny community at the base of the Mann Ranges on the South Australian-Northern Territory border; Nyapari is home to the Stevens family, and Tjungu Palya. In the early 1980s there were no buildings or services, nor an art centre, just ‘wiltja’ (traditional shelters made of branches).
During his early days in Nyapari, Pungkai was adopted by the late Eileen Stevens, matriarch of Nyapari and master painter. She gave him the name Pungkai, which is associated with the sacred water hole Piltati, just east of Nyapari. Through Stevens, he was initiated into Pitjantatjara culture; she became his adoptive mother and her son, Keith Stevens, is now his brother.
Pungkai’s paintings reflect his Nyoongar and Pitjantjara cultures, with his main themes being My Nyoongar Beginnings, Piltati, Tali Tjuta, and Walpa (Wind). He was renowned for his exquisite dotting, which he did mainly in monochrome: white on black, or red and white on black.
From 2013 until his death he had begun to experiment with new, bold styles to express his political and environmental manifestos. These later canvases – few in number – used a wide and dynamic colour palette.
Pungkai began his painting career at Tjungu Palya and was represented at his request exclusively by Marshall Arts/Galerie Zadra from 2008 until his death. He relocated to Ceduna Aboriginal Arts and Cultural Centre in 2008 shortly after the death of Eileen Stevens; he left the Ceduna art centre in 2014 to work as an independent artist, although he continued to sell some work through the art centre.
Selected exhibitions
2015
Our Mob, Tarnanthi Festival of Contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art, Artspace Gallery, Adelaide Festival Centre, Adelaide
2014
135th Meridian-East, curated by André Lawrence, Australian Experimental Art Foundation, Adelaide
Law Matters, SALA exhibition in association with the Federal Court of Australia, Dame Roma Mitchell Commonwealth Law Courts, Adelaide
Desert and Coast. Contemporary paintings from South Australian art centres, Marshall Arts at Adelaide
Airport
2013
returning, connecting, Marshall Arts, with Greg Johns and Beaver Lennon
tough(er) love. Art from Eyre Peninsula, Flinders University City Gallery, then touring with Country Arts SA through regional South Australia until April 2014
2011
Intangibles in Terra Australis, Flinders University City Gallery
Continuum: New works from the APY Lands, South Australian Living Artists Festival, Marshall Arts
2010
Intangibles in Terra Australis, Sala Kubo-Kutxa, San Sebastian, Spain
2009
Heart Foundation 50th Anniversary Celebrations Aboriginal Art Exhibition, Marshall Arts
2008
Tjungu Palya, Tjukurpa Kunpu, Marshall Arts
Publications
2013 tough(er) love. Art from Eyre Peninsula, John Neylon, Country Arts SA, exh. cat.
2011 “Australian art makes a splash in Europe”, The Adelaide Review, issue 372, Feb., pp.4-5
2010 Intangibles in Terra Australis, Fundación Kutxa, San Sebastian, exh. cat.
Collections
Art Gallery of South Australia
Artbank Australia
Edith Cowan University, Perth
Adelaide Airport Limited
Lagerberg Swift Collection, Perth
Merenda Collection, Perth
Marshall Collection, Adelaide
W. & V. McGeoch Collection, Melbourne
Lipman Karas, Adelaide, Hong Kong, London
There are currently no works available. Please contact us if you would like us to source a piece for you.
In 2013 at the Marshall Arts Adelaide opening of “returning, connecting”, a group exhibition with Pungkai, Australian sculptor Greg Johns, and Indigenous painter Beaver Lennon, Pungkai spoke about one of his experimental works, Longa Longa Time, I bin Mine My Business, Now Everyone Cummin Mine My Business (2013).
This large yellow work covered in black tyre marks and strewn with toy trucks and tools spoke to his anger at the way mining companies destroy the environment. He was not anti-mining per se, but he was highly critical of their wilful destruction of the environment, sacred sites and lack of responsibility in thoroughly cleaning up and revegetating old mine sites.
During this short talk, Pungkai points to another of his works, Piltadi (2013), on which he had used the same red ochre as he’d thrown over Longa Longa Time.
Longa Longa Time no longer exist; it was destroyed by the artist some time between 2015-2016.
