Kenny Williams Tjampitjinpa

Kenny Williams Tjampitjinpa is a distinguished Pintupi artist born around 1950 near Iliya, close to present-day Kiwirrkura in Western Australia. He is the eldest son of renowned artist Naata Nungurrayi and her first husband, Pilamartitja Tjangala. During his early years, Kenny travelled extensively with his family across the Wilkinkarra (Lake Mackay) region, living a traditional nomadic lifestyle. In 1963, his family encountered Jeremy Long's Welfare Branch Patrol and were subsequently relocated to the Papunya settlement.

Throughout the 1970s, Kenny resided in Balgo Hills with other Pintupi people before returning to Papunya. In the early 1980s, he moved to the Intinti outstation, west of Kintore, and later settled in Kiwirrkura. He began painting for the Papunya Tula Artists collective in 1988, contributing significantly to the Western Desert art movement.

Kenny's artwork is renowned for its meticulous execution and profound connection to his ancestral lands. His paintings often depict Tingari Dreaming narratives, focusing on sacred sites and ancestral journeys, particularly around the areas of Kiwirrkura and Ngamanpura—a swamp west of Kintore known for its black berries during good seasons.

His style is characterised by fine, zigzagging lines and subtle earth tones, creating a hypnotic effect that reflects the spiritual significance of the Dreaming stories. Kenny approaches his art with great reverence, treating his brushes and materials with utmost care.

In recognition of his artistic excellence, Kenny won the prestigious Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award in 2000. His works have been exhibited nationally and internationally, held in esteemed collections such as the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Artbank, and the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory.