Boxer Milner Tjampitjin

Boxer was a senior Law man who, along with his two brothers, was custodian for the Country, Tjukurrpa (creation stories and lore) and songs of the Sturt Creek area. Boxer’s paintings all depict different physical and mythological aspects of the middle and upper stretches of Sturt Creek. He often depicts the flooding of the creek, and the changes to the country this brings, both during the flooding, and after the water starts to recede.

The area of Milnga-Milnga is a major flood plain for Sturt Creek and is inundated every summer after the rains. This is important for all nature, including people, and Boxer’s family who have always lived here and ‘look after’ the area by keeping its associated Law and ceremonies. A significant portrayal of the water in Boxer’s paintings of Sturt Creek is white, depicting the ‘milk water’ that runs after rain has fallen in the clay soils upstream of Billiluna. His work includes the depiction of rainbows, rain clouds and the temporary creeks that are formed during the wet season. As a younger man Boxer worked around this area as a stockman effectively utilising his intimate knowledge of the country.

Boxer began painting in the mid-1990s and his unique style has saw him emerge as one of Warlayirti Artists’ most recognised and sought-after artists. Boxer has had solo exhibitions in 2000 and 2003 and his work has been exhibited overseas.  Source: Boxer Milner Tjampitjin, Warlayirti Artists