Kitty Kantilla facts for kids

Kitty Kantilla, also known as Kutuwalumi Purawarrumpatu (born around 1928 – died 4 October 2003), was a famous Aboriginal artist. She came from the Tiwi Islands in the Northern Territory of Australia. Kitty Kantilla created art using many different materials. She made sculptures from carved ironwood, wove tunga (bark baskets), and painted on paper and canvas. She also made prints. Her artworks are now kept in important art collections all over Australia.

Early Life on the Tiwi Islands

Kitty Kantilla was born in a place called Piripumawu, on the eastern coast of Melville Island. She grew up on Yimpinari country, also on Melville Island. Her childhood was very traditional. She ate many bush foods found in her local area and lived in shelters made from paperbark. She spoke the 'old' Tiwi language.

She lived in a community called Paru on Melville Island. In 1941, during World War II, the Japanese bombed the Tiwi Islands. Because of this, she moved for a short time to a mission on Bathurst Island. Later, she went back to Paru. Many artists lived in Paru. These artists would travel by canoe or even swim to Nguiu (which is now called Wurrumiyanga) to sell their art.

In the 1970s, Kitty Kantilla moved to nearby Bathurst Island. She went to live in her mother's traditional country. This is where she started her career as an artist. At first, she mostly carved tutini (grave poles) and other figures.

Her Artistic Journey

Kitty Kantilla's journey as an artist truly began after her husband passed away in 1968. She was living in Paru on Melville Island at the time. She started by creating detailed carvings of figures from ironwood.

Kitty Kantilla once spoke about her art from this period:

"The jilamara (designs) that I do, it's my father’s design. I watched him as a young girl and I’ve still got the design in my head. When my sister passed away, I watched him. When he died, I did the same design, right through Nguiu [Paru], I kept painting. When my husband died in Adelaide, they wanted to give me a widow’s pension but I said, ‘No, I’ll work, make jilamara, carving, make my own living’. I worked every day! When we gathered logs for carving, there was no transport! We carried them on our shoulder, walking, having a rest, walking a long way, heavy work. We worked at home [Paru], with no chainsaws, just a tomahawk, carving, hard work. Then we would take the carvings by canoe, paddling across to Nguiu to sell them."

In the late 1980s, Kantilla moved back to Melville Island. She settled in Milikapiti. Here, she began to create her more modern artworks.

Becoming a Leading Artist

Kitty Kantilla produced most of her art through the Jilamara Arts and Craft Association. This art center was started in 1989. Her first artworks were painted on bark. Later, she started painting on canvas. She quickly became one of the most important artists at the center. People knew her as "Dot Dot" or the "Queen of Jilamara."

Her first solo art show was in 1994. It took place at the Aboriginal and South Pacific Gallery in Surry Hills, Sydney.

Before she passed away in 2003, her art was shown in many big exhibitions. These included Pumpuni Jilamara: Tiwi Art at the Art Gallery of New South Wales in 2002. Her work was also in Beyond the Pale at the Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art at the Art Gallery of South Australia in 2000. It was also shown at the National Gallery of Victoria.

Her artworks are now held in many major art galleries across Australia. These include the National Gallery of Australia, the National Gallery of Victoria, and the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Her art is also at Museum Victoria and the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory.

Legacy and Influence

Kitty Kantilla's art has had a lasting impact. Her work was a very important influence on the Australian ceramic artist Pippin Drysdale.