Timmy Payungka Tjapangati (c. 1940 – 2000) was an influential indigenous Australian painter and a founding member of the Papunya Tula group, which played a pivotal role in launching the internationally recognized Western Desert art movement. Born at Parayirpilynga, located to the west of Wilkinkarra (Lake Mackay) in the Gibson Desert, near the border between Western Australia and the Northern Territory, Tjapangati lived on his traditional land until a severe drought in the late 1950s compelled his family to relocate to Ikuntji (Haasts Bluff).

Subsequently, Tjapangati resided on a farm in Papunya and became one of the first Pintupi men to start painting on hardboard in 1971. By the late 1970s, he was primarily based with relatives at Balgo Mission, situated northwest of Papunya. In 1981, he moved to Kintore, where he played a significant role in establishing the traditional Pintupi settlement at Kiwirrkura, closer to his ancestral land.

During this period, Tjapangati also became a vital guardian for the 'new people,' a group of nine Pintupi who had remained isolated in the Gibson Desert for over two decades, reuniting with their relatives after spotting the smoke from distant hunting fires. He was a prominent ceremonial leader, possessing extensive knowledge of numerous stories, rituals, and traditional laws, and served as a key custodian of the significant Parrayingi ceremonial site and the Lake Hazlett area.

In his later years, Timmy Payungka was required to reside permanently in Alice Springs, the third-largest town in the Northern Territory, to undergo regular dialysis treatment. Despite these challenges, he continued to paint, with support from his wife Emily, until his death in May 2000. Tragically, he passed away just a few months before the major exhibition titled Papunya Tula: Genesis and Genius at the Art Gallery of New South Wales during the Sydney Olympics. Timmy's artwork Secret Sandhills (1972), featured in this exhibition, inspired Australian experimental pianist Ross Bolleter to compose Secret Sandhills for six ruined pianos, which was later released on his WARPS Studios label, as well as on a CD by Emanem. Bolleter also collaborated with Anthony Cormican to create a surround-sound version of Secret Sandhills for the 2005 Totally Huge New Music Festival.

Other names: Tim Tjapangarti, Payungu, Pyungu, Japangardi, Puyungku.