Helicopter Tjungurrayi is is one of the younger generations of artists at Balgo Hills in Western Australia. Born at Nynmi, Helicopter was brought up in the nomadic lifestyle and learnt from a young age everything about the plants and the water sources to ensure survival. Helicopter was given his name as a result of an incident in the 196Os, when he fell seriously ill and was collected by a flying doctor in the first helicopter seen in the area. Now a “Marpan” or medicine man himself, Helicopter practices as a traditional healer in the Balgo community and people travel hundreds of miles to see him for healing. From the beginning of the 90’s he painted artworks together with his wife, Lucy Yukenbarri Napanangka, who is also a well-known artist and who recently passed away.Since 1994 Helicopter has been painting in his own distinctive linear style. His artworks relate often to his land and that of his mother and father and usually depict water-holes as central elements. Helicopter travelled widely during the mission days to pick up supplies (Broome, Alice Springs, and Wyndham). There are many stories of the endless tasks performed on the Mission; drilling for water, cutting timber for fencing, fixing the windmill. More recently, Helicopter has travelled from Balgo Hills with his paintings and prints to Darwin, Adelaide and Melbourne. He remains dedicated to painting his country and the country of his mother and father where he lived a nomadic life as a young boy.
