JamFactory present the 2021 JamFactory ICON Pepai Jangala Carroll. A painter and ceramic artist based in Pukatja and working from Ernabella Arts, Carroll is a Luritja/Pintupi man and the first Aboriginal artist to be celebrated in this series of exhibitions that launched in 2013.

Pepai Jangala Carroll in front of Ininti, 2020.

Carved sgraffito stoneware forms and canvases in muted tonal colours are characteristic of the artwork by Pepai Jangala Carroll. Committed to his custodial responsibilities of Luritja/Pintupi country, Pepai Carroll’s captivating paintings and ceramics merge his deep knowledge of country with his beautifully intricate yet minimalist style.

Left to right: Walungurru, 2020, Stoneware, 550 x 300 x 640 mm. Kiwirrkura, 2020, Stoneware, 430 x 140 x 240 mm. Kiwirrkura, 2020, Stoneware, 505 x 170 x 185 mm.

The major subjects the artist returns to are Walungurru the sand-dune country of his Father’s Country, near Kintore in the Northern Territory – the paintings and ceramics of Walungurru feature Wanampi the water serpent; Ininti which refers in contour and colour range to the desert bean tree and its environment – the Ininti tree is prevalent in the Kintore region, and; Yumari a site located west of Walungurru, Yumari literally means mother in law in Luritja; and rocky country of Ilpili.

Walungurru, 2020, Stoneware, 530 x 220 x 190 mm.

JamFactory’s annual ICON exhibition celebrates the achievements of South Australia’s most influential visual artists working in craft-based media. Carroll’s major solo exhibition of new ceramic works accompanied by paintings and tapestry will premiere at JamFactory in August and coincide with the annual SALA Festival.

The exhibition will tour 12 venues nationally and is supported by a major publication Pepai Jangala Carroll: Ngaylu Nyanganyi Ngura Winki (I Can See All Those Places) co-published with Wakefield Press featuring essays by Alison Milyika Carroll (translated by Anne Thompson), Luke Scholes and Belinda Briggs.

Yumari, 2020, Acrylic on Linen, 1700 x 1800 mm.