Warlpiri Artists from Yuendumu

Yuendumu was amongst the earliest desert communities to take up the desert art movement of the 1970s. The artists of Warlukurlangu continue to work the Jukurrpa creation stories into their paintings as part of a shared living culture.

Geraldine Napangardi Granites comes from a strong family of artists who have shaped art making at Yuendumu. Her grandparents Paddy Sims and Bessie Sims and her mother Alma Granites are among the famous names of Yuendumu painting. Geraldine has painted since 2001 and her detailed paintings of the small desert birds that she sees around the community are a delight.

Virginia Napaljarri Sims paints the major women’s Dreaming story from Mina Mina, which she inherits from her artist grandmother Ena Nakamarra Gibson. Mina Mina Jukurrpa connects these women’s Creation stories across the Tanami Desert and is a powerful Dreaming ceremony for Warlpiri women.

Artists like Gloria Napangardi Gill bring the influence of their homelands at Balgo in Western Australia. In 1997 Gloria moved to Nyirripi and began painting at Yuendumu in 2010. Her paintings tell the stories of Lappi Lappi Jukurrpa, from to her Grandfather’s country near Lake Hazlett, north west of Lake Mackay. The strong sense of colour and design reflect of the Balgo style of painting as it crosses the Tanami Desert east towards Yuendumu.

The exhibition has contributions from 24 artists and is on display at Japingka until 17 May 2023.