Biography

Antoinette Napanangka Brown was born in Alice Springs Hospital, the closest hospital to Yuendumu, a remote Aboriginal community 290 km north-west of Alice Springs in the NT of Australia. She grew up in Yuendumu. She attended the local school in Yuendumu until 2003, when she got married. She has a boy and a girl born 2003 and 2004, respectively, which she spends most of her time looking after. While her grandmother, Wendy Nungarrayi Brown, was chairperson of the childcare centre, she would sometimes go there with her children and help out. She has been painting since she was a young girl, painting small boards for Warlukurlangu Artists Aboriginal Association, an Aboriginal owned and governed art centre. Her great grandfather on her mother’s side is the well known artist Paddy Japaljarri Sims (dec), and it is from him that Antoinette has been handed down the stories of her ancestor’s country. These stories are Karnta Jukurrpa (Womens Dreaming) and Pamapardu Jukurrpa (Flying Ant Dreaming). From her father’s side she paints the Jukurrpas from that country which is Mina Mina.