Pulya Taylor facts for kids

Pulya Taylor (born 1931) is a talented Indigenous Australian artist from central Australia. She creates amazing wooden objects. These objects are known as puṉu in the Western Desert. Pulya carves the wood carefully. Then, she uses a hot wire to burn beautiful patterns, called walka, onto the surface. This special way of decorating wood is called pokerwork. She finds the wood she uses right near her home, close to the famous Uluṟu.

Pulya Taylor: An Amazing Artist

Pulya Taylor was born in 1931. She grew up near a place called Walytjatjata. This area is in the southwest part of the Northern Territory. She started making art and crafts in the late 1940s. This was at a community called Ernabella.

Her Early Life and Art

Later, Pulya moved to Amaṯa with her husband, Tony Tjamiwa. In 1983, Pulya and Tony had an important idea. They traveled with other artists like Topsy Tjulyata and Walter Pukutiwara. They visited different artist communities. Their goal was to talk about opening a new art center. This center would be near Uluṟu. It would sell artworks from the region to visitors.

Pulya and Tony moved to Muṯitjulu to help start this center. Pulya was one of the very first artists for Maṟuku Arts. She is still an important leader there today.

Creating Beautiful Artworks

Pulya Taylor is most famous for her animal sculptures. She carves many different animals. These include birds, numbats, snakes, the echidna, and the perentie lizard. Each animal she carves has a special meaning. They are linked to spiritual stories called Tjukurpa. These stories are about the creation of the world. They tell about the ancestors from the Dreamtime.

Sharing Her Art with the World

Pulya Taylor's artwork has been shown in many places. Her sculptures have been displayed all over Australia. They have also traveled overseas. For example, her work was shown in London at the Commonwealth Institute in 2000. You can find examples of her art in big museums. These include the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney. Her work is also at the National Gallery of Australia. And you can see it at the National Museum of Australia.