Lennard Walker

Lennard was born at Tjukaltjara on the central northern border of Spinifex circa 1946. Tjukaltjara is an extension of a massive Seven Sisters site centered at Kuru Ala (eyes open) which could describe the state of alertness required by the sisters being relentlessly stalked across great tracts of central Australia by the obsessively amorous Nyiiru. Lennard’s country lies at the crossover of the endless dunes of Spinifex and the ironstone ranges to the north punctuated by a series of spectacular breakaways and mesas. Women from the Ngaanyatjarra, Pitjantjatjara and Spinifex Lands regularly convene together at Kuru Ala to practice Women’s ceremonies. In keeping with strict protocol the women first must ask Mr. Walker for permission to enter his country. Diplomatically, Mr. Walker never refuses.

Unlike most born in country artists Lennard moved out of Spinifex with his extended family to the Warburton Mission, established in 1934. Lennard spent time at the Mission school and picked up a good deal of conversational English. This was to serve him well later during the new political era that ensued after the transfer from mission authority to Aboriginal “self-management”. Lennard’s family were comparative strangers in Warburton and took the first opportunity to move to Cundeelee Mission to join the other Spinifex families there.

In the early years of Tjuntjuntjara Lennard married a Warburton woman, Ngalpinkga Simms, who settled in Tjuntjuntjara with Lennard. Lennard painted on the inaugural men’s native title painting, most other men’s collaboratives, joint works with other male painters and wife, Ngalpingka. In style and form Lennard continues from where he began, a ruggedly strong and resolute painter - the image of his country.

In 2008 Lennard was a finalist in the W.A. Indigenous Art Awards, Perth W.A.

Group Exhibitions
2025 Rawa Tjunguku - working together a long time, Redot Fine Art Gallery, Singapore.
2024 Spinifex People: Art and stories from Pila Nguru, WA Museum Boola Bardip, Perth, WA.
2024 Sovereigns of the Memory, Aboriginal Signature Estrangin Gallery, Brussels.
2024 From the Spinifex Country, Aboriginal and Pacific Art, Sydney, NSW.
2024 Pila: the Space Between the Dunes, Salon Art Projects, Darwin, NT.
2024 We are Wati, Short Street Gallery with Studio 29, Cairns, QLD.
2024 Spinifex 2024 - Short Street Gallery, Broome, WA.
2023 Tarnanthi 2023 - Festival of Contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, SA.
2023 Desert Mob, Desart, Araluen Art Centre, Alice Springs, NT.
2023 Sun and Shadow - Art of the Spinifex People, Raft Artspace, Alice Springs, NT.
2023 Voir l’Invisible, Museum d’Angoulême, in conjunction with Aboriginal Signature, Estrangin Gallery and supported by the Australian Embassy in France, the French Embassy in Australia, Angoulême, France.
2022 Claim the Land, Aboriginal Signature Estrangin Gallery, Belgium.
2022 Living Water, Raft Artspace, Alice Springs, NT.
2022 Short Street Gallery, Broome, WA.
2022 Salon des Refusés, Salon Art Projects, Darwin, NT.
2022 Spinifex Arts Project 25 year anniversary show, Vivien Anderson Gallery, Melbourne, VIC.
2022 Aluni - Resonance - Aboriginal Signature Estrangin Gallery, Brussels, Belgium.
2021 Un/learning Australia with Artspace and Seoul Museum of Art, Korea.
2021 Spinifex Wati Tjuta, Aboriginal and Pacific Arts, Sydney, NSW.
2021 DesertMob 2021, Araluen Art Centre, Alice Springs, NT.
2021 Making a Mark, ReDot Fine Art Gallery, Singapore.
2020 Spinifex Artists - On Our Country, Japingka Gallery, Fremantle, WA.
2019 Kungakarungkalpa, Short Street Gallery, Broome, WA.
2019 Explosion, Aboriginal Signature • Estrangin Gallery, Brussels, Belgium.
2018 Melbourne Art Fair Vivien Anderson Gallery, Melbourne, VIC.
2018 Melbourne Art Fair, with Vivien Anderson Gallery, Melbourne, VIC.
2018 Pila nguruku kapi walkatjara – Painted Waters of Spinifex Country, ARTKELCH at Skulpturenpark Wesenberg, Germany.
2017 Wuste - Meer - Schpfermythen ArtKelch Gallery presented at The Rautenstrauch-Joest Museum Cologne, Germany.
2017 Spinifex Arts 20th Anniversary, Japingka Gallery, Fremantle, WA.
2017 Spinifex Ascendent Short Street Gallery, Broome, WA.
2017 Spinifex: Aboriginal Paintings from the Robert Kaplan and Margaret Levi Collection, Nevada Museum of Art, Reno, Nevada. U.S.A.
2016 Pila Nguratja - In Spinifex Country Vivien Anderson Gallery, Melbourne, VIC.
2016 Rawa Nyinanyi- Unbroken. Outstation Gallery, Darwin, NT.
2016 Purungu und Narrupa Sammlung, in association with P. & A. Klein and ArtKelch, Kunstwerk, Germany.
2015 Spinifex Arts Project, Aboriginal and Pacific Arts, Sydney, NSW.
2015  Tarnanthi - Festival of Comtemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, SA. 
2015 ArtKelch, Freibery, Germany Wo das Stachelkopfgras wachst
2015 Indigenous Australia enduring civilisation, The British Museum, London.
2014 Spinifex Tjukurpa ReDot Gallery, Singapore.
2014 Spinifex Arts Project 2014, Vivien Anderson Gallery, Melbourne, VIC.
2014 Pila- Spinifex Land Outstation Gallery, Parap, Darwin, NT.
2013 Spinifex Arts Project, ARTKELCH at art Karlsruhe 2013, Karlsruhe, Germany.
2013 The Wild Ones Raft Artplace, Alice Springs, NT. (Mens Collaborative).
2015 ArtKelch,Freiburg,Munich,Hamburg, Bodensee, Lake Constance, Germany.
2013 Kuwaritja - New Works of the Spinifex People Outstation Gallery, Darwin, NT.
2012 Tupun Nguranguru – People of the Sandhill Country 45 Downstairs Gallery, Vivien Anderson, Melbourne, VIC.
2012 Spinifex - People of the Sun and Shadow John Curtin Gallery, Curtin University, Perth, WA.
2011 Spinifex Works: Japingka Galery, Fremantle, WA.
2010 New Spinifex Work, Short st Gallery, Broome, WA; Desert Mob, Araluen Galleries, Alice Springs, NT.

2009 Spinifex : Ab-Original Fine Art, Linz, Austria; Japingka Gallery, Fremantle, WA.
2008 Kapi Ninti-Knowing Water Knowing Country, Vivien Anderson Gallery, Melbourne, VIC; Spinifex Artists Recent Works: Short St Gallery, Broome, WA.
2007 Seattle Arts Museum, Seattle, USA; Ten Years On:Japingka Gallery Fremantle; New Spinifex Works, Short St Gallery, Broome;Desert Mob, Araluen Galleries, NT.
2006 Desert Mob, Araluen Galleries, NT; Art of the Spinifex People:Japingka Gallery, Fremantle, WA.
2005 Tarlitja Nguru: Cooee Gallery Sydney;Songlines XXX1V: Rebecca Hossack Gallery, London; Law and Land: Aboriginal Art Museum, Utrecht, NL;From the Heart: Flinders Lane Gallery, Melbourne, VIC.
2005 Law and Land Aboriginal Art Museum, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
2004 Native Title Business: national Touring Exhibition; Spinifex Artists, Zurich House, Zurich.
2003 Putitja Nguru: Japingka Gallery,Fremantle;Spinifex Arts Project 03: Neil Murphy Indigenous Art.
2002 Putitja Nguru - Art of the Spinifex People Japingka Gallery, Fremantle, WA.
2001 Flinders Arts Museum, Adelaide, SA.
2001 Broken Hill City Regional Art Gallery, Broken Hill, NSW.
2001 All About Art Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne, VIC.
2000 Pila Nguru - Art and Song of the Spinifex People Western Australian Museum, Perth, WA and National Tour.

Collections
ART GALLERY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA, ADELAIDE, SOUTH AUSTRALIA (MENS COLLABORATIVE)
ARTBANK AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT, CANBERRA. A.C.T.
COLLECTION PRINCE STEFAN OF LIECHTENSTEIN, EMBASSY OF LIECHTENSTEIN IN GERMANY. (MENS COLLABORATE)
KLUGE-RUHE ABORIGINAL ART COLLECTION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA, USA
KUNTSWERK SAMMLUNG ALISON UND PETER W. KLEIN, GERMANY SAMMLUNG ALISON UND PETER W. KLEIN, GERMANY
NATIONAL GALLERY OF AUSTRALIA, CANBERRA, ACT (MENS COLLABORATIVE)
NATIONAL GALLERY OF VICTORIA, MELBOURNE VIC
PRINZ STEFAN VON UND ZU LIECHTENSTEIN, VIENNA, AUSTRIA
QUEENSLAND ART GALLERY OF MODERN ART, BRISBANE, QLD.
SAMMLUNG ALISON UND PETER W. KLEIN, NUSSDORF, GERMANY
SAMMLUNG PETER DÖHLE SCHIFFAHRTS-KG, HAMBURG, GERMANY
SEATTLE ART MUSEUM, SEATTLE, USA. (MENS COLLABORATIVE)
THE ART GALLERY OF NEW SOUTH WALES, SYDNEY, NSW (MENS COLLABORATIVE)
THE BRITISH MUSEUM, LONDON. (MENS COLLABORATIVE)
THE CORRIGAN COLLECTION, AUSTRALIA (MENS COLLABORATIVE)
THE KAPLAN-LEVI COLLECTION, USA
W. & V. MCGEOCH COLLECTION, MELBOURNE, VIC.
WAGNER AND OWEN COLLECTION, USA.