Long Jack Phillipus Tjakamarra was a founding member of the Papunya Tula art movement whose dignified presence and leadership helped establish contemporary Western Desert painting. Born at Kalipinypa, an important Rain Dreaming site northeast of Kintore, he came into Haasts Bluff as a teenager in the late 1950s following his mother's death. Working as a stockman, school yardsman, and community councillor at Papunya, Long Jack was instrumental in creating the famous 1971 Honey Ant Mural that sparked the movement, preparing the walls and assisting Kaapa Tjampitjinpa and Billy Stockman Tjapaltjarri with the painting itself. As the owner of the principal Possum Dreaming site, Ngamarunya, in the Gibson Desert, his paintings featured symmetrical balance and stylised figurative elements in traditional earth colours. He served on the Aboriginal Arts Board of the Australia Council during the early 1970s, advocating for self-determination and clarifying that artists painted only non-sacred stories while keeping sacred heritage for ceremonies. Winner of the Northern Territory Golden Jubilee Art Award (1983) and Alice Springs Art Award (1984), Long Jack participated in landmark exhibitions including The Face of the Centre, Mythscapes, and Power of the Land. In 1984, he became ordained as a Lutheran pastor, finding Christianity compatible with traditional beliefs. His early works remain highly significant in major collections, documenting his foundational role in Australia's most important contemporary Indigenous art movement.
1
Papunya Tula Artists Northern Territory
Works Available
Long Jack Phillipus Tjakamarra
Water Dreaming, 1971
Relevant Exhibitions
Maastricht
TEFAF 2026
12 March - 19 March 2026
No Image
Brisbane
Philip Bacon Galleries, Important Australian Indigenous Art
8 March - 2 April 2022
No Image
Melbourne
Crossings
1 October - 30 November 2020
Subscribe to stay up to date on our exhibitions, artists, insights and more.
