Artists
ABIE LOY IS ONE OF THE MOST PROMISING OF THE ‘NEW GENERATION‘ OF ABORIGINAL ARTISTS, HAVING RECEIVED CRITICAL ACCLAIM FOR HER UNIQUE STYLE. Taught to paint by her famous Aboriginal…
Ada Bird Petyarre was born at Akaye Soakage, Utopia 1930c. She is an Anmatyerre speaker and her country is Atnangkere. Ada has painted silk batiks and used acrylic paint to…
Albury Dixon Jungula is from the central desert region, his paintings of Tingari are strong and bold, an artist confident in telling the story of his Dreamings on canvas.
ANATJARI WAS ONE OF THE FIRST ABORIGINAL ARTISTS INVOLVED IN THE ACRYLIC MOVEMENT. HE WAS ONE OF PAPUNYA TULA‘S MOST CONSISTENT AND ENTHUSIASTIC PAINTERS FOR OVER 25 YEARS (C. 1976-1999)….
ANNA PITJARA WAS TAUGHT TO PAINT AT UTOPIA BY HER COUSIN GLORIA PETYARRE, SHE IS ALSO KNOWN AS ANNA PRICE PETYARRE AND IS THE NIECE OF THE LATE EMILY KAME…
was born in Winron, Pintupi country, across the Western Australian border, east of Kiwirrkura. BAMBATU LIVED APART FROM WHITE PEOPLE WITH HER FAMILY IN THE BUSH UNTIL HER TEENS, LIVING…
Barbara’s paintings depict the sacred ceremonial site near Tjukurla. The designs of her Women’s Ceremony paintings often have many related symbolic meanings
Barbara Weir was born about 1945 at Bundy River Station, a cattle station in the Utopia region of the Northern Territory. Her parents were Minnie Pwerle, one of Utopia’s most…
Barney is a senior Law-Man within the Alawa Community. While his art has been exhibited in group exhibitions since 1989 it was not until 1999 that he deemed it appropriate…
Betsy started painting in 1999 and has participated in a large number of exhibitions, including one with Judy Watson Napangardi. Betsy has developed a unique, controlled style using colour and…
Betty was born into perhaps the most well respected and collectible artistic families in contemporary Aboriginal art. Her late mother, Minnie Pwerle and her sister Barbara Weir are highly collectable…
BILL WHISKEY WAS WAS A TRADITIONAL MEDICINE MAN (NGANGKARI,) AND HEALER IN HIS ADOPTED COMMUNITY NEAR MOUNT LIEBIG IN THE CENTRAL DESERT. PEOPLE WOULD TRAVEL FROM MILES AWAY SEEKING HIS…
Billy Stockman‘s life began with tragedy. His mother and others of his family were killed in the 1928 Coniston Massacre, 280kms north of Alice Springs, while he was sleeping in…
Candy is an up and coming artist from Papunya Tjupi meaning a New Beginning (Tjupi means honey ant), not to be confused with Papunya Tula, this artists group began in…
The majority of Carol‘s work depicts aspects of the secret and sacred Tingari Cycle, a spiritual journey that incorporates story, song and ceremony. These are stories of the Tingari ancestors…
Clifford Possum was involved in the original acrylic art movement at Papunya, and is classified as one of the forefathers of contemporary Aboriginal art, and one of its most talented…
Dinny spent many years working as a stockman across the Northern Territory before arriving at Papunya in the mid 1970‘s. As a senior Walpiri man, he was recognised as a…
Dorothy began painting in 1987. Initially she painted Mukaki, Bush or Wild Plum Dreaming in vibrant colours, but now focuses on painting her country, Mina Mina, using a more subdued…
Eileen is the daughter of Charlie Tararu Tjungarrayi one of the founding members of Papunya Tula Artists, and Tatali Nangala, also a successful artist. Eileen and her family moved to…
Emily was one of the senior artists in the Utopian transition from batik print-making to the use of acrylic paint on canvas. She was the adopted daughter of Jacob…
Raised by renowned artists Naata and Nancy Ross Nungarrayi, Esther commenced painting in the early 1990‘s. Her heritage from an artistic perspective has fostered Esther‘s skills to become a talented,…
Esther Giles Nampitjinpa, sister of fellow artist Tjawina Porter Nampitjinpa and half sister of Nyurapayia Nampitjinpa (aka Mrs Bennett), lived in the bush with her family until her younger brother…
Eubena was born at Tjinjadpa, west of Jupiter Well on the Canning Stock Route in Western Australia and is one of the pre-eminent women in the Balgo Community. She is…
Evelyn as a very collectable artist within the Utopian community. Her work is innovative and has been in a constant state of transition since she began painting around 1997. Her…
Gabriella is a gifted and highly celebrated contemporary female Aboriginal artist. She is the eldest daughter of the late Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri, the most renowned Aboriginal artist and one of…
George has been recognised in the top 50 most collectable artists by Australian Art Collector magazine. He began painting in Papunya in 1976 alongside the first generation of acrylic artists….
George and his family walked to Papunya via Mount Doreen and Yuendumu in 1960. it wasn‘t until 1984 that he began painting with the Papunya artists. He has a distinctive,…
Gloria began her career as one of the founding members of the batik print-making movement at Utopia. She took up the acrylic medium in the late 1980‘s, and quickly rose…
Hilary Tjapaltjarri was a stockman born at Mintjilpirri, south west of Kintore in approximately 1941. He first became curious about painting when he saw the Papunya Tula Artists painting in…
Hughie Ah Won was born on Creswell Downs Station, Barkley Tablelands, NT in 1965. His father was working as a stockman on the station at the time. Hughie’s father, Edward…
It is no mistake that Jeannie is a highly talented artist. She received the knowledge of her Dreaming and painting techniques from her famous aunt, Emily Kame Kngwarreye (dec). Gloria,…
Johnny Warankula is an iconic and important member of the original acrylic art movement at Papunya, where he began painting in the late 1970‘s after a long turn as a…
Judy has been a force in the contemporary Aboriginal art movement for more than two decades. She is a woman of incredible energy who was born at a time when…
June Bird is a Utopian artist whose style strongly reflect that of her talented and famous mother, Ada Bird Petyarre. Like Gloria Petyarre, and the famed Emily Kame Kngwarreye, June…
Katherine is an important emerging artist among the second generation of acrylic painters. She has been painting since 1986, and has developed a style that is reminicient of her famous…
“Kathleen is one of the most important artist to emerge from Utopia. She is from a family of rich artistic talent which includes her sister Gloria Petyarre. Kathleen paints in…
Kuddtji is a highly acclaimed and important Aboriginal artist. His connections to traditional ways are evident not only through his powerful sense of awareness, but through his spiritual connections with…
LILY KAREDADA WAS BORN IN THE BUSH, AROUND THE PRINCE REGENT RIVER IN THE EAST KIMBERLEY. HER BUSH NAME, MINDINDIL, MEANS BUBBLES, REFERRING TO THE TIME WHEN HER FATHER ‘FOUND’…
Lily is an important elder in her Mt Leibig community. It is her role to teach the young women of the community ancestral laws and traditional singing and dancing. She…
Linda and her family walk out of the desert in the 1940‘s to Haasts Bluff where she was educated by Lutheran Missionaries. In conjuction with with the education she has…
Lionel is the only son of Clifford Possum Tjungarrayi and has the right to his father‘s stories. His sisters Gabriella and Michelle are also very accomplished artists. Lionel‘s work is…
Lorna had been painting since 1986 and began painting with a small group of women who collectively produced the first women‘s paintings for the Wanayaka Art Centre in Lajamanu.
Lynette began painting for the Papunya Tula Artists around 1990 and works equally well in several artistic mediums including painting in acrylics and screen-printing onto garments. The multi dimensionality of…
Maisey began painting in the early 1990‘s and has created a body of work that shows passionate commitment to preserving the important elements of her Aboriginal culture. She uses traditional…
MAKINTI NAPANANGKA WAS AN IMPRESSIVE AND PROLIFIC FEMALE ARTIST AND PAINTED FOR THE PAPUNYA TULA ART COMMUNITY Her bold and striking contemporary paintings saw her win the prestigious Telstra…
Michael Nelson is an ambassador of Aboriginal art and an incredibly important figure in the Australian art world. He had a major impact in the art world when he won…
Michelle is the daughter of the highly acclaimed and arguably the most famous Aboriginal artist, Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri. She paints seven sisters dreaming, bush coconut, black seed and women‘s stories…
The late Minnie Pwerle is a highly respected and acclaimed Utopia artist. She is the mother of Barbara Weir and Betty Club Mbitjana. Like fellow Utopian artist, Emily Kame Kngwarreye,…
Mitjili has a very rich cultural heritage being the daughter of Tjunkiya Napaltjarri and the sister of Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula. She is married to wellknown Ikuntji (Haasts Bluff) artist Long…
She commenced painting in 1993 with other senior Aboriginal women from the Haasts Bluff and Kintore areas. They painted their Dreamtime stories. Nyururupayia then painted for Papunya Tula artists. Her…
“Naata began painting for Papunya Tula artists in 1996. Naata‘s depictions include the Marrapinti rock hole site, using a minimal palette of orange and red hues, with white and black…
Narabri is the daughter of famed Papunya Tula artist, the late Makinti Napanangka. Narabri began painting in 1999, and lived with her husband and family at Kintore until her untimely…
Natalie is the daughter of acclaimed Utopia artist Peggy Purvis. She began painting several years ago focusing on her mother and grandmother‘s Dreamings. Her work is distinct for its delicate…
Ngoia took up painting in 1997 and painting stories associated with her father and brothers country. Through her distinctive designs she explores different representations of the swamps, lakes and spinifex…
Ningura moved from her desert birthplace with her husband, the wellknown artist Yala Tala Gibbs Tjungurrayi, and commenced painting for Papunya Tula in 1996. She paints her country which is…
Paddy Bedford grew up in Bedford Downs. Paddy combined his stock work with the development of the knowledge of the law and his land. As a senior law man Paddy…
Dreamtime stories painted are the Bangjaingaian Spirits, Mimi Spirits, the Moon Man, the Crocodile Man, Kollo Kollo, The Lefthanded Man, the Rock Man and Waditj. Paddy grew up around Maningrida,…
Pantjiya is a talented and highly collectable artist who began painting for Papunya Tula artists in the mid-1990‘s. She began painting with the traditional colours of black, white and yellow…
“Patrick is a senior law man who is responsible for traditional ceremony for the region around Balgo. It wasn‘t until the 1980‘s that he began painting. He is the masterfully…
Queenie was a remarkable and respected indigenous leader and internationally renowned artist from the East Kimberley region. She lived her whole life at Texas Downs. From the rolling hills to…
Ray James is the son of Anatjari Tjampitjinpa, one of the Papunya Art Movements founding members. It was in the early 1970‘s, along with the likes of George Tjungarrayi that…
RONNIE TJAMPITJINPA BEGAN PAINTING IN 1971 IN PAPUNYA IN THE EARLY DAYS OF THE ABORIGINAL ART MOVEMENT. His hugely successful work uses a combination of contrasting colour , big…
Rosemary is part of a famous painting family that included the late Emily Kame Kngwarreye. Like Emily, Rosemary began her formal painting career on the Holmes a Court “summer Project”…
Sarrita is an exciting young second generation Aboriginal artist who brilliantly fuses the past, present and future of her culture through painting. Her work is vivid, energetic and of the…
As a child Shorty lived the life of a desert nomad with virtually no contact with white-man. He remembers the Conniston massacre and Aboriginal people and families being shot at…
Tarisse, like her younger sister Sarrita, is one of the most exciting young Aboriginal artists to emerge in recent years. Tarisse is the eldest daughter of Bill King Tjangala and…
Thomas arrived out of the desert with seven relatives in 1984, making international headlines as ‘The Lst Nomads‘, having never seen white man before. Until this time Thomas and his…
Tjawina is the sister of Esther Giles Nampitjinpa and half sister to Nyurapayia Nampitjinpa. She is known for her skill as a traditional basket weaver and wood carver and has…
Tommy has had a career as an artist spanning just seven years to date and produced a relatively small number of major works. He is a senior Pitjantjatjarra elder who…
Turkey Tolson was one of the youngest artists invloved in the intial Papunya Tula movement. He used the influence of the older artists to develop his own unique style to…
WALALA WAS BORN IN THE GIBSON DESERT IN THE EARLY 1960‘S, AND DID NOT ENCOUNTER EUROPEANS AND THEIR WAYS UNTIL HE WAS 21. He was a part of a…
Walangkura is an exciting and talented Aboriginal woman artist from Kintore in the Western Desert. Her work has a powerful energy and passion that depict creation stories and ceremonial sites…
WILLYTJUNGURRAYI IS A SENIOR ABORIGINAL PINTUPI MAN, WHO MOVED TO PAPUNYA IN 1976. His brothers Yala Yala Gibbs Tjungurrayi (dec) and George Ward Tjungurrayi) are also major artists. Willy…
Yinapura is a Telstra award winning artist, daughter of founding Papunya Tula artist Anatjari Tjampitjinpa and sister of artists Mantua Nangala and Ray James Tjangala. She paints her traditional land…