Alice Nampitjinpa: Tali tali 2008

This painting shows the sandhills near Alice's "birthing place" of Talaalpi in Western Australia.

Talaalpi is an area of country that contains rockholes that provide a vital source of water for the Pintupi people of the region. Due to the importance of the rockholes there are many dreaming stories associated with this place.

Alice often paints Talaalpi, re-telling the stories to herself as she works. The country is dominated by rolling sandhills, and in this work we can see these sandhills ("tali") as a continuum that stretches on and on to the naked eye.

Between the burning peaks are the cool shadows - the red stripes - where animals and plants can survive the scorching desert sun and serve as a larder for the experienced hunters and gatherers such as Alice Nampitjinpa.