Biography

Yankunytjatjara / Pitjantjatjara, b. 1975 Tanya Van Horen is a Yankunytjatjara and Pitjantjatjara artist from Umoona, Coober Pedy, in northern South Australia. Born in Port Augusta in 1975, she is connected to Kupa Piti / Coober Pedy, where her family connection extends back several generations. Her work is closely tied to the desert, opal fields, rock formations and distinctive light of the surrounding country. Dreaming & Country: Kupa Piti / Opal Country Tanya’s paintings are commonly associated with Kupa Piti, Opal Country, Painted Desert and the Breakaways near Coober Pedy. Some works are also titled Seven Sisters Dreaming / Kungkarangkalpa Tjukurpa, where that story is specifically identified in the work title or provenance. Style and Technique Her paintings use layered colour, repeated movement and broad compositional rhythm to describe desert country rather than literal landscape. The surface often suggests mineral strata, desert tracks, opal fields, escarpments and shifting light. Tanya’s Palette Tanya works with colours closely associated with Coober Pedy and the surrounding desert: ochres, pinks, mauves, whites, sandy neutrals, blues and opal-like tones. The palette is central to the work, reflecting both the surface and underground character of Kupa Piti." For the Collector Tanya Van Horen is an emerging artist from the Umoona community. Her work is represented by APY Gallery and other Aboriginal art galleries, with a practice centred on Coober Pedy country and its surrounding desert forms.