George Tjungurrayi (born c. 1947) is one of the most distinctive Australian painters of his generation. A Pintupi man from the Western Desert, he developed a highly individual visual language from the 1990s onwards, defined by repeated parallel lines, interlocking structures and an exacting command of rhythm, restraint and optical precision.

George Tjungurrayi: No Past Tense is the artist’s first international solo presentation, bringing together a focused selection of works from his mature practice. It speaks to the enduring presence of Country, ancestral knowledge and cultural responsibility in paintings that are at once formally radical and culturally grounded.

Across successive works, Tjungurrayi continually recalibrates line, interval, scale and structure. Repetition becomes a method of invention, yielding paintings of remarkable concentration while preserving the cultural authority that governs what may be revealed.

The exhibition also marks D Lan Galleries’ fourth consecutive year at Frieze Masters, underscoring the gallery’s commitment to presenting Australian First Nations artists through sustained scholarship and ambitious international programming.

No Past Tense positions Tjungurrayi’s achievement not as a departure from tradition but as a powerful demonstration of how innovation can emerge from discipline, continuity and authority.