26 August - 20 September 2025
Lorna Fencer Napurrula (circa 1920–2006) stands as one of the most distinctive and influential figures in the evolution of contemporary Aboriginal art.
A senior Warlpiri woman and highly respected cultural custodian, Lorna’s paintings are more than visual expressions, they are ancestral maps, ceremonial rhythms, and expressions of her cultural identity.
Born in the Tanami Desert region of the Northern Territory, her early life, lived largely on her ancestral lands, grounded her in the sacred knowledge of her people - stories, songs, and ceremonies passed through generations.
Later, as government resettlement programs relocated Aboriginal communities, she moved to Lajamanu, where she became a pivotal elder, teacher, and creative force in the community.
It is this profound cultural inheritance, shaped by the land and carried in memory, that pulses through her work.
Lorna's work defied the conventions of the time, embracing abstraction, high colour, and gestural freedom. Through this ambitious transformation of form, she introduced a dynamic and uniquely feminine voice into the largely male-dominated field of early desert painting.
As a senior custodian of numerous Dreamings—including bush potato (Yala), yam (Warputi), and Caterpillar (Luju). Every composition was tied to ceremonial obligations and ancestral narratives. Yet she also believed that these stories could evolve in form while retaining their spiritual weight.
Her canvases, filled with looping lines, vibrant palettes, and daring scale, often appear radically modern to non-Indigenous audiences.
VIEW EXHIBITION CATALOGUE
VIEW WORKS BY LORNA FENCER NAPURRULA
