Biography

Lorraine Napangardi Wheeler was born in 1980 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, first attending the local school then completing her secondary school education in Alice Springs.

Lorraine Napangardi began painting with Warlukurlangu Artists Aboriginal Corporation, an Aboriginal owned and governed art centre located in Yuendumu, at the beginning of 2002 when she was in her early twenties. However, because of family commitments, her production of art work was initially sporadic – it wasn’t until 2019, that she was able to commit herself to full time painting. Lorraine’s Jukurrpa/Dreaming paintings include: Ngurlu Jukurrpa (Native Seed Dreaming); Mina Mina Jukurrpa – Ngalyipi; Karnta Jukurrpa (Women’s Dreaming); and Lukarrara Jukurrpa (Desert Fringe-rush Dreaming). These stories relate directly to her land, its features and the plants and animals that inhabit it. They have been passed down to her by her parents and their parents before them for millennial. She uses traditional shapes and an unrestricted palette to develop a modern interpretation of her traditional culture.

When Lorraine is not painting, she spends time with her family and friends at home and at community activities.