Artist

Tiger Yaltangki is an exciting contemporary Australian artist from Indulkana in the far north of South Australia. Yaltangki’s bold, bright and often wild canvases are immediately striking - a compelling blend of the artist’s depiction of the Anangu concept of Mamu (spirit beings), and his enthusiasm for rock and roll music including Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and Credence Clearwater Revival, and science fiction television, including Doctor Who and The Mighty Boosh. Yaltangki’s exploration of both Anangu and popular mythologies has developed into a unique visual language that has sparked both critical and commercial interest nationally and abroad.

Tiger Yaltangki has been featured in several significant exhibitions in recent years including at Tarnanthi - Festival of Contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art 2015 at the Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide; the 2016 Adelaide Biennial – Magic Object exhibition at the Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide; 'Darkness on the Edge of Town' at Artbank, Sydney, curated by Clothilde Bullen; the inaugural edition of The National: New Australian Art at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Carriageworks and the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia in 2017; and, 'A Lightness of Spirit is the Measure of Happiness’ at the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (ACCA), Melbourne in 2018.

In 2020, Yaltangki was announced as a finalist in a number of prestigious national prizes, including the Archibald Prize at the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney; the 37th Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards Exhibition at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory in Darwin; and the Paul Guest Prize at Bendigo Art Gallery in Victoria.          

In 2021, Alcaston Gallery presented a solo exhibition of new work by Yaltangki entitled High Voltage, a homage to the legendary Australian band AC/DC. His work was also featured in the Spirits, Popstars and Royals exhibition presented by Fort Gansevoort in New York, in the USA.  

In 2022, Yaltangki was named a finalist in the National Works on Paper Prize 2022, presented by the Mornington Regional Gallery in Victoria, and the Paul Guest Prize at Bendigo Art Gallery in Victoria. Yaltangki presented a solo exhibition at Alcaston Gallery entitled, Let There Be Rock, and his work was included alongside fellow leading Iwantja artists Vincent Namatjira and Kaylene Whiskey in Iwantja Rock n Roll, a group exhibition presented at Fort Gansevoort Gallery in New York.

2023 was a particularly significant year for Yaltangki who, in addition to presenting a solo exhibition at Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne, exhibited in the group exhibition, Shadow Spirit, at the Flinders Street Station Ballroom as part of Melbourne’s leading arts festival RISING, and will present a prominent solo installation at TARNANTHI Festival of Contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art at the Art Gallery of South Australia in Adelaide from 2023 – 2024. He was also named as a finalist in the 2023 Archibald Prize presented by the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney.

A highly admired artist, Yaltangi's works are held in public and private collections including Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales; the Parliament House Art Collection, Canberra; and, the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.

© The Artist, Iwantja Arts and Alcaston Gallery, MelbourneFor an extended CV, please contact Alcaston Gallery at art@alcastongallery.com.au