Clarise Tunkin b. 1993

Clarise Tunkin was born in Mparntwe (Alice Springs) and grew up in the small community of Kanpi in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunyjatjara (APY) Lands, 20km south of the Northern Territory border at the base of the Mann Ranges. Clarise hails from a region of great artistic heritage, and is part of a large and talented family of artists. Her mother, Teresa Baker, her Aunty Kani (Patricia) Tunkin and grandmother Kay Baker (daughter of the famed Jimmy Baker) are all celebrated artists from the APY Lands. 

Like many of the women in her family, Clarise paints the story of a spiritual ancestor, Malilu. From her mother Teresa and grandmother Kay, Clarise learnt about her country and the sacred stories associated with it, including the story of Minyma (meaning "woman") Malilu - she fondly remembers visiting Malilu's cave with her mother at age fifteen. The cave is believed to have spiritual healing powers - ceremony and songs are still performed by the women where Malilu’s cave is situated. Like her mother and grandmother before her, Clarise depicts the topography of her ancestral country and the internal systems of Malilu's cave from an aerial point of view - such as the paths walked by women to visit Malilu in secret, and the winding waterways that flow into the cave after desert rains. 

Clarise only began painting in 2012, and in just 2015, she was selected as a finalist in the Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Awards, recognising her quickly blooming talent. Clarise is part of an exciting new generation of artists, creating rich, energetic works. She has demonstrated a masterful ability to use negative space and create intriguing high contrast compositions on her canvases. Still early in her artistic career, she is a much sought-after artist, and a mother of two.