BORN: 1960
REGION: KIWIRRKURRA
LANGUAGE GROUP: PINTUPI
View Yinarupa’s artwork here
Yinarupa was born in about 1960 in Western Australia, South West of Jupiter Well in a place known as Mukula. She is a Pintupi speaker. She began painting in the early 1980s and was schooled by her late husband, famous artist Yala Yala Gibbs. She is also artist Ray James’s sister. Being a member of a Traditional Aboriginal painting group, means she has worked beside some very notable artists.
Yinarupa is a major artist for the Papunya Tula Art Centre.. Her art evokes a sense of ‘space’ and ‘rhythm’ by combining both strong design and careful use of colour, that you find synonymous with many of the senior Western Desert artists.
Her dreamings include, women’s ceremony, seed collecting and the secret Tingari ceremonies located south of Kiwirrkura.
Yinarupa was awarded the prestigious 2009 Telstra General Painting Award.
Her emotional acceptance speech, in which she talked about here country and her depictions of it, was a moving experience for all who witnessed it.
She has been voted one of the top 50 Aboriginal Artists.