Ningura Naparrula was born around 1938 in Watulka, south of Kiwirkurra, Northern Territory. Ningura Napurrula is the widow of the famous Papunya artist Yala Yala Gibbs. Ningura was represented at the ARCO Art Fair 2002 in Spain and in the same year won the prestigious Alice Prize. Ningura Naparrula began painting in the 90s and with Naata Nungurrayi is one of the founders of the ‘Pintupi Painting Women’ movement from Kintore. Her most impressive work is large in size and often executed in two colors (usually black and white or red and white). Her work stands out for its sharp patterns in which white dots form a delicate linear web where the dark background shines through. This gives the illusion that the dark surface forms the upper layer of paint, which gives her paintings a spectacular perspective. She paints with a refinement and detail that is exceptional for Aboriginal Art. Ningura is also a member of the Papunya Tula Artists collective. Since motifs from her work were included in the architecture of the 2006 opening of the Musée du Quai Branly in Paris, her work has become popular worldwide.
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2018 ‘Ancestral Modern: Australian Aboriginal Art from the Kaplan & Levi collection’, Blanton Museum at the University of Texas, Austin, USA
2018 EXPO Chicago, SmithDavidson Gallery, Chicago, USA
2017-2018 Work by Ningura Napurrula from the collection of Musée de Quai Branly is on view in the Louvre, Abu Dhabi, UAE
2015 'Signs and Traces. Contemporary Aboriginal Exhibitions’, Zamek Culture Centre, Poznan, Poland
2012 ‘Unique Perspectives, Papunya Tula Artists and the Alice Springs Community', Araluen Arts Centre, Alice Springs, Australia
2011 ‘Papunya Tula Women's Art’, Maitland Regional Art Gallery, Maitland, Australia
2010 ‘Nyakula Kanyini Piintapalyalpayi Kamu Walytja Tjanamapa Lurrtju - Caring for Artists and their Families’, Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs, Australia
2010 ‘Ngurrakutu - Going Home’, Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs, Australia
2010 ‘Walkinkarralakutu - Journeys to Lake Mackay', Cross Cultural Art Exchange, Darwin, Australia
2010 ‘Tradition & Innovation - Papunya Tula 2010’, Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne, Australia
2010 ‘Small Paintings’, Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne, Australia
2010 ‘Summer Show’, Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne, Australia
2010 ‘Emerging Elders', National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, Australia
2009 5th Annual Shalom Gamarada Aboriginal Art Exhibition, Shalom College, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
2009 ‘Painting the Country’, Cross Cultural Art Exchange, Darwin, Australia
2009 ‘Papunya 2009, Senior Pintupi Artists’, Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne, Australia
2009 ‘Tjukurrpa Palurukutu, Kutjupawana Palyantjanya - Same Stories - A New Way’, Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs, Australia
2009 'Nganampatju Kanpatja Winjki, Ngnampatju Yara Winkii - All Our Paintings, All Our Stories', Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs, Australia
2008 ‘Ngurra Yurra Kulintjaku - Always Remembering Country’, Cross Cultural Art Exchange, Darwin, Australia
2008 ‘Papunya Tula Artists 2008’, Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne, Australia
2008 ‘The Other Thing - A Survey Show’, Charles Darwin University Art Collection, Darwin, Australia
2008 ‘Marrkangku Yara Palyantjaku Ngurrangka - Making Strong Paintings at Home’, Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs, Australia
2007 TogArt Contemporary Art Award, Parliament House, Canberra, Australia
2007 ‘Papunya Tula 2007’, Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne, Australia
2007 ‘Recent Paintings 2007’, Cross Cultural Art Exchange, Darwin, Australia
2007 ‘Wonderful World’, Anne & Gordon Samstag Museum of Art, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia
2007 ‘Pintupi - Mixed Exhibition’, Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs, Australia
2006 ‘Papunya Tula Artists 2006', Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne, Australia
2006 ‘Landmarks', National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia
2006 ‘Dreaming their Way’, National Museum of Women in Arts, Washington D.C., USA
2006 ‘Yawulyurru Kapalilu Palyara Nintilpayi’, Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs, Australia
2005 ‘Pintupi Show’, Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs, Australia
2005 ‘Papunya Tula Artists’, Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne, Australia
2005 ‘Translation’, Palais de Tokyo, Paris, France
2005 The Desert Mob Art Show, Araluen Art Centre, Alice Springs, Australia
2004 ‘Papunya Tula Artists’, Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne, Australia
2004 ‘Pintupi Artists’, Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs, Australia
2004 ‘Mythology and Reality’, Heide Museum of Modern Art, Melbourne, Australia
2003 ‘Australian Contemporary Aboriginal Art in Prague’, Toskansky Place, Prague, Czech Republic
2003 ‘Pintupi Artists’, Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs, Australia
2002 ‘A Way Through, the Sue and Ian Bernadt Collection, Aboriginal paintings by women artists’, Central TAFE Art Gallery, Perth, Australia
2002 ‘Pintupi Artists’, Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs, Australia
2001 ‘Aborigena’, Palazzo Bricherasio, Turin, Italy
2001 Musée des Beaux Arts et d'Archeologie de Vienne, France
2001 The Desert Mob Art Show, Araluen Art Centre, Alice Springs, Australia
2001 ‘Pintupi Exhibition’, Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs, Australia
2001 ‘Beyond Wings’, Flinders University Art Museum, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia
2000 'Papunya Tula - Genesis and Genius’, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
2000 ‘Pintupi Women’, Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs, Australia
1999 ‘New Horizons’, Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne, Australia
1999 The Desert Mob Art Show, Araluen Art Centre, Alice Springs, Australia
1996 Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs, Australia
Born in Watulka, Northern Territory on November 30th, 1937
Died in *unknown* on November 30th, 2012