Artist: Pansy Napangardi

Skin Name: Napangardi (Napangarti)

Language: Warlpiri

People: Warlpiri

Region: Mount Lie Beig

DOB: c1949

Pansy Napangardi was born at Haasts Bluff in the late 1940's during the early years of mission settlement Pansy is of Luritja/Warlpiri decent.

Pansy father and grandfather are Warlpiri tribesmen and were born at Pikilyi (Vaughan Springs), west of Papunya. Pansy paints; Bush Banana, Water Snake, Seven Sisters, Hail, Desert Raisin and Two Women, Kangaroo, Cockatoo, Bush Mangoes and Willy Wagtail. Her mother who was Luritja was born at the site of Illpili. Pansy mother's cousin taught Pansy the Dreamings from her mother's side of the family. Napangarti’s grandparents first showed her how to depict her inherited stories 'Dreamings' by drawing them in the sand. Napangarti was born in Haast Bluff in central Australia. She bases her work on the traditional Dreamings handed down through her family. Unlike other aboriginal women artists, Napangarti did not serve an apprenticeship by working on the paintings of her male relatives. Instead, she forged her own distinctive style in the 1970s and is now represented in major collections across the world.

Warlpiri artist, Pansy Napangardi moved to Alice Springs in 1989. "When I was a young girl we always travelled around a lot. We'd go to a swimming hole, hunting or gathering bush tucker. Later on I saw my uncle painting and I asked him, 'Can you tell me my mother's dreaming? I want to put them down.' " They told her the stories and showed her in the sand how to depict them. She practised on paper and later used her designs to do collages made up with the ininti seeds from which the women used for making jewellery. As she gained experience in this form, she moved into her forte', acrylic on canvas. Since that time Pansy's paintings have inspired world acclaim. Today she is considered on of the foremost artists from Alice Springs. Although it has been said that Aboriginal women have only been painting since the 1980's, Pansy states that she, like her sister Eunice Napangardi, commenced painting earlier. She began recording her dreamings in the early 1970's at the start of the Papunya Art Movement. By observing Johnny Warangkula and Kaapa, two established artists, Pansy's style emerged. Unlike many other women artist now associated with the Papunya Tula Artists she did not serve an apprenticeship, but began painting for herself. At the time the resources were the province of the senior initiated men that started the movement. She sold her work privately through Alice Springs until 1983 when she started painting with the Papunya Tula Artists on a full time basis. Pansy's work gives voice to her traditional beliefs and symbolises a triumphal cultural statement by the once near defeated people of the Central Australian Desert. Her paintings are remarkable with their use of colour. Blues, greens and pinks create a spiritual vigour and nervous energy that excite the eye. They are refreshing with their striking vitality and exploring diversity. Her paintings represent the fertility and glory of her traditional land, making a statement about the relationship of the her people and the land. Pansy is an artist who constantly experiments and surprises. Her close contact with Non-Aboriginal Australians has progressed her in her search for new rhythms and frontiers yet she always remains firm within the confines of Aboriginal traditions. Her work was seen at the 1988 Brisbane expo as well as the cover of 'The Inspired Dream', which was published at the same time. She has had several solo exhibitions, one of them at the Sydney Opera House, followed by the Gallery Gabrille Pizzi. Her work is featured in many group exhibitions including Richard Kelton Foundation collection, 'Mythscapes' at the National Gallery Canberra and the 'Karnta' exhibition at the New South Wales Art Gallery. In 1989 she won the 6th National Aboriginal Art Award and in 1993 won the Northern Territory Art Award.

From 1960 onwards Pansy lived in Papunya where she observed older artists like Johnny WARANGKULA and KAAPA Tjampitjinpa. From this, she developed her own style. Pansy recalls her grandmother and grandfather telling her stories about her Dreamings and also showing her how to depict them by drawing them in the sand. She practiced on paper and later used her designs to do collages comprised of glue and the ininti seeds from which the women usually made necklaces. Unlike other women artists now associated with Papunya Tula Artists, she did not serve an apprenticeship by working up to the 80's on the paintings of her male relatives. She began working for herself from the early 70's. The resources of Papunya Tula Artists at this time were exclusively the province of the senior initiated men who began the painting enterprise. Pansy independently sold her works in Alice Springs. She worked in this manner for about five years followed by a long break. In 1983 she resumed painting, working for Papunya Tula Artists.

During the late 80's she emerged as Papunya Tula's foremost women artist. Her work was included in the company's display at the 1988 Brisbane Expo and also featured on the cover of The Inspired Dream catalogue of a major survey of Aboriginal Art shown at the same time at the Queensland Art Gallery. She has had two solo exhibitions. The first one was at the Sydney Opera House in September 1988 promoted by the Centre for Aboriginal Artists (for whom she still paints for occasionally). The second showing occurred at the Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi in Melbourne in May 1989 promoted by Papunya Tula Artists. In 1989 she won the sixth National Aboriginal Art Award. She showed again at the Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi in late 1991 and also in Brisbane with EUNICE Napangardi in early 1992. Her work has appeared in several major surveys of Aboriginal art, including 'Mythscapes' at the National Gallery of Victoria in 1989 and 'Karnta', a show of Aboriginal women's work at the Art Gallery of NSW in 1991.  She has a son and four other adopted children, the youngest of whom she now lives with in Alice Springs. Pansy attends literacy classes at IAD with many of the other women from the Tjukurrpa painting group. Her sister Alice Napangardi is married to artist Dinny NOLAN and lives in Papunya. Her younger brother BROGAS TJAPANGATI also paints for the Papunya Tula Artists and the Aboriginal Desert Art Gallery.

Exhibitions:
Pansy had many touring exhibitions in America including National Gallery, London ; Australian National galleries, Sydney Opera House, North Territory Museum and North Territory Art Gallery, Australian National Gallery in Canberra, National Gallery of Victoria, Art Gallery of NSW Sydney, Victorian Art Centre, Queensland National Art Gallery; 1987,1988, 1989, 1991 Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne;
1988 'Dot Painting The Inspired Dream', Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane;
1988 Expo, Brisbane;
1988 Sydney Opera House, Sydney;
1989, 1994 National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne;
1990 'Friendly Country - Friendly People';
1991 'Karnta', Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney;
1993, 1994 Araluen Arts Centre, Alice Springs;
1998 - 2000 travelling exhibition in Washington DC USA. and Australia.

AWARDS:
1989 Pansy won the prestigious 6th National Aboriginal Art Award ;
1993 she won the important Northern Territory Art Award

COLLECTIONS:
BBC UK Collection, London, England ; Art bank Sydney;  Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney;  Art Gallery of South Australia Adelaide; National Gallery of Victoria Melbourne; Art Gallery of Western Australia; Queensland Art Gallery  Brisbane; National Gallery of Australia Canberra; The Holmes a Court Collection, Perth;  Powerhouse Museum Sydney; Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory Darwin; National Gallery, London; The Kerry Stokes Collection, Australia;  Museums of North Territory, Darwin; Holmes à Court, Perth; Michael Hollow Collection, Alice Sprigs; Her work was included in the company's display at the 1988 Brisbane Expo and also featured on the cover of The Inspired Dream catalogue of a major survey of Aboriginal Art shown and long admired by Corporate and private collections around the world