Community: Papunya
Art Centre: Papunya Tjupi Arts (Papunya, N.T.)
Area: APY Lands, South Australia
Born: 1962
Biography:

Denis Nelson Tjakamarra is the son of the late and renown aboriginal artist Johnny Warrungkula Tjupurrula, who was among the first of aboriginal men to paint their dreaming stories on canvas in the early 1970’s in Papunya with Geoffrey Bardon.

Denis is a Luritja tribesman born c1964. Denis has been painting since the late 1980’s. He paints emu and water dreamings from his country around Kalipinypa (about 200kms north west of Papunya) as well as the dreamings his father passed onto him.

Denis speaks very good English and has previously worked as a teacher at the Papunya school for a number of years helping to overcome the language barrier for the children. He says he enjoys painting, representing his traditional beliefs and keeping his father’s stories alive.