Yinarupa Nangala

BORN 1961

REGION Mukula/Kiwirrkurra

LANGUAGE Pintupi

Yinarupa Nangala was born circa 1948 in Kiwirrkurra and has gained recognition as a leading figure in Australia’s contemporary Aboriginal art scene since her entrance into the artworld in 1996. With a rich traditional background influenced heavily by the Papunya Tula art movement, of which her late father, the esteemed Anatjari Tjampitjinpa, was a founding member, Yinarupa Nangala has earned her status as a senior Western desert Painter.

Early in her career Yinarupa developed a distinctive style of weaving together her rich spiritual heritage as well as the physical environment of her homeland. Predominantly using black and white, Yinarupa specifically paints the ‘Ngamurru’ in Kiwirrkurra, WA, a meeting place for aboriginal women where ceremonial business is conducted. The area is also renowned for its abundance of the Acacia seed, which once collected is ground into flour and used to make ‘latja’, a damper bread used in aboriginal ceremonial rituals. The various shapes in her work depict important features of the landscape including rock holes, which serve as important water sources, women’s meeting places and abundant food areas.

Yinarupa’s unique art uses a combination of traditional and contemporary symbols providing an aerial view of the Pintupi area. This mixture ensures her work resonates with a contemporary audience of the traditional aspects of her culture. Yinarupa now resides in Alice Springs with her five children where she continues to evolve her painting style with frequent visits to her homelands near Jupiter Well in WA.