Ningura Napurrula

Ningura Napurrula was a prominent Pintupi artist and respected senior woman, celebrated for her bold, dynamic paintings that centred on women’s stories, Country, and cultural continuity. Born around 1938 near Watulka, south of Kiwirrkurra in the Western Desert, Ningura lived a traditional bush life before moving to Papunya in the 1960s, during a time of significant change for Aboriginal communities.

Her artistic journey began in the 1990s, first contributing to collaborative women’s painting projects before developing her own highly recognisable style. Using a palette of ochres, whites, and reds, Ningura created swirling, organic forms that echoed ceremonial body paint designs and sacred women’s Dreaming narratives. Her works often focus on the roles of women in cultural and kinship structures, particularly related to birthplaces, gathering sites, and ancestral travels across the desert.

Ningura’s paintings draw on deep personal and inherited knowledge, particularly from her father’s Country around Wirrulnga and her own custodial links to important women’s sites. Her artworks are rich with symbolism, layered meanings, and the powerful presence of Country, rendered with intuitive brushwork and a strong sense of movement.

In 2002, Ningura’s work gained national recognition when one of her paintings was chosen for reproduction on the ceiling of the Musée du Quai Branly in Paris, placing her alongside other senior Aboriginal artists in representing Indigenous Australian culture on the world stage. Her work has since been exhibited widely and is held in major public collections across Australia.

Beyond her artistic achievements, Ningura Napurrula was a respected elder, cultural teacher, and mother to a new generation of artists. Through her paintings, she upheld the strength of women’s Law and ensured that the stories of her people would continue to be seen, remembered, and respected.