Kitty Kantilla Kutuwulumi Purawarrumpatu, a celebrated Tiwi artist, redefined Tiwi art by blending ceremonial traditions with contemporary abstraction. Kantilla was a master of jilamara (designs), her works – spanning carved objects, paintings on bark, canvas and paper – featuring intricate dotting and linear patterns inspired by Tiwi spirituality, particularly the story of Purrukuparli, Bima and Taparra. Kantilla’s innovative use of white pigment, paired with ochres of red, yellow and black, symbolised elemental forces and spiritual transformation. Her minimalist designs captured the emotional depth of Tiwi mourning rituals and the tidal rhythms created by Purrukuparli’s grief. Eschewing modern tools, she meticulously shaped her materials by hand, balancing tradition with modern aesthetics. The prominent breasts on the chest of this figure suggests that this sculpture may represent the ancestral figure of Bima. Other sculptures of Bima made by Kantilla share the black painted
crutch of this example. The sculpture has minimal articulation of the arms, nor has the figure’s mouth been incorporated. The furrowed brow and vacant eyes suggest the shock Bima experienced upon learning of the death of her son.