Tjariya Stanley is a Pitjantjatjara woman, born in Wingellina in 1939. She is a Ngankari (traditional healer) and holds traditional knowledge strong.
Tjariya has been involved in the art centre for decades and over that time has mastered several different mediums including batik and painting. Her first drawings, collected by Charles Mountford in the 1940s, are in the collection of the National Museum of Australia.
Initially Tjariya assisted at the craft room, making floor rugs and knitting jumpers, the first enterprises undertaken here. In the 1970s she learnt batik from Nyukana (Daisy) Baker following Nyukana’s visit to Indonesia. Tjariya developed into one of Ernabella’s most accomplished batik artists. She has also taught herself weaving with native grass and raffia (tjanpi) and crocheting mukata (beanies) with the sheep wool that she still hand spins.
For the past few years, Tjariya has chosen to concentrate on painting. She uses this medium to tell the tjukurpa (law) of her country and family. Her strong mark making drew instant attention and her paintings have been purchased by ArtBank and important private collectors. Her work has been acquired for several collections including the National Gallery of Australia and the National Museum of Scotland.
In 2016 Tjariya was a Finalist (collaborative) in the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award.
Tjariya is a stalwart of the community and the heart of the art centre. She keeps culture strong, and is an excellent story teller, delighting in telling stories of when she was a young girl growing up at the mission. She has also told the sad stories, relating her personal experience of the atomic bomb testings at Maralinga and its effects on the Ernabella Community. This was incorporated into the Ngapartji Ngapartji theatre production which toured Australia for over a year.
One of Tjariya’s daughters, Renita, is also an important Ernabella artist, and Renita’s son Ngunytjima, works in the ceramics studio. He is an accomplished potter and artist in his own right and in 2013 he threw the ceramic forms for Tjariya’s first solo exhibition at Melbourne’s Alcaston Gallery.
