Malliera Diptych by Dr George Tjapaltjarri, 198x130cm

Malliera Ceremonies (Diptych) by Dr. George Tjapaltjarri

This striking diptych by renowned Pintupi artist and traditional healer Dr. George Tjapaltjarri offers a powerful visual representation of Malliera —the highly significant young men’s initiation ceremonies. Comprising two panels, each measuring 198 x 61 cm, the work can be displayed either horizontally or vertically, allowing for multiple interpretations of the sacred narratives within. When hung together with a slight separation, the combined presence expands to approximately 198 x 130 cm, evoking a sense of movement and continuum—a concept deeply embedded in Western Desert art and storytelling.

Dr. George, like fellow artists Walala Tjapaltjarri and Dorothy Napangardi, often preferred working across multiple panels, using the format to symbolically extend the vastness of Country and the enduring nature of ancestral law.

The bold black lines set against a white background in Malliera Ceremonies depict the ritual body paint applied to initiates, signifying their first passage into a lifelong journey of cultural knowledge. These markings may also reference ritual scarification, a practice that imprints identity and belonging within the traditional law. The initiation process introduces young men to the Tingari Cycle —a sacred and secret series of teachings that govern law, kinship, and the landscape itself.

The Tingari were ancestral figures of the Dreaming (creation) era, traveling immense distances across the desert, shaping the land through their ceremonies and singing the world into existence. As with all Tingari-related stories, the full meaning of Malliera Ceremonies remains restricted to those with the cultural authority to interpret it.

For collectors, this diptych is a rare and compelling piece—both an artistic statement and a profound cultural document, embodying the strength, continuity, and secrecy of one of the most enduring traditions in Indigenous Australian art.

Following is the artwork displayed as the diptych - Cat 4871DG and 4843DG