• Tapalinga (Stars)

Virginia Galarla

Tapalinga (Stars)


Regular price   
Tapalinga is the Tiwi name for the stars in the sky.

  • Natural ochres on Stringybark
  • Dimensions: 15cm x 34.5cm
  • Cat No. 22-112


Virginia Galarla was born in 1951 at Wurrumiyanga. Her maiden name was Pangiraminni. She went to the catholic primary and high school at Wurrumiyanga. When she turned 18 she got a job at the health centre and in 1972 she transferred to the Leproseum at East Arm in Darwin. In 1973 she got married and went to Maningrida with her husband for 1 year.In 1974 they returned to Wurrumiyanga where they had 5 children. The family moved to Pirlangimpi in 1979.After her family grew up she returned to the work at the Health Centre in Pirlangimpi until she retired in 2010.When she retired she was sitting at home making baskets as she didnt know about the Art Centre until 2104 when she joined and started to paint. Her paintings depicting seasons, cermonies, bush foods, bush medicine, insects, ceremonial objects etc have continued to evolve and her are sought after. ~ Munupi Arts


Munupi Arts & Crafts Association is located along Melville Islands north-western coastline at Pirlangimpi (Garden Point) and is the most recently formed art centre on the Tiwi Islands. In 1990 the Yikikini Women’s Centre and Pirlangimpi Pottery were incorporated under the name Munupi Arts and Crafts Association giving local artists an opportunity to proudly celebrate Tiwi culture through both traditional and contemporary mediums. Eddie Puruntatameri was the first president of Munupi Arts and Crafts. Eddie worked at Tiwi Pottery at Nguiu for many years until he moved to Pirlangimpi in late 1983 and set up a pottery workshop in the community. The first major works at Munupi were several large mural panels. The painted panels were placed around the community at Pirlangimpi Airport, the Council Office, Pirlangimpi Pottery and at the Women’s Centre. Artists who contributed to this project were Thelca Puruntatameri, Reppie Orsto, Fatima Kantilla, Donna Burak, Francesca Puruntatameri and Therese Ann Tipiloura. The first Munupi Arts and Crafts exhibition ‘Munupi Dreaming’ was held in October 1990 at Shades of Ochre, Darwin. The exhibition included painted furniture, paintings, limited edition prints and terracotta pots. Munupi artists have continued to exhibit both within Australia and internationally. Many artists from Munupi Arts and Craft have participated in workshops at the art centre and abroad. Drawing inspiration from their natural lush environment and Tiwi creation stories, Munupi artists employ ochres, gouache and acrylic paint. Munupi Arts and Crafts are also highly regarded for the diversity of their range of works including painting, pottery, carving, weaving, screen prints, etchings, linocut prints, lithographs and screen printed textiles.


On standard shipping, our fulfilment time is 7 business days. For urgent orders, please select express post and we will generally fulfil within 2 business days. We are a very small team and shipping from Darwin can take some time. Thanks for your patience! 

We pack all artworks securely to protect during shipping. All artworks and purchase above $100 are insured against damage during transit and require a signature on delivery. A tracking number is be provided as part of our shipping process to the contact details you provide. 

As much as possible (for artworks under 1 metre) we use Australia Post to ship our artworks within Australia. For artworks that are large or fragile, we use Pack n Send to courier the artworks to you. For customers who purchase multiple artworks at once, we can get quotes to send your purchase via the regular shuttle between Darwin and major capital cities. 

We do our best to provide accurate shipping costs on our website at check out, however every item for sale in our gallery is unique and as such, it is sometimes difficult to automate and estimate our shipping costs, especially when customers purchase more than one artwork at once. Our team reviews the postage paid on every order and on the odd occasion we have significantly overcharged or undercharged you, our team will be in contact to rectify. If you have any concerns, or you would like a custom shipping quote on an artwork, send us a note. 

International customer? Please contact us to arrange a quote.

Visiting Darwin or a local? Local pick up available during normal opening hours.