At around 80 years of age, senior Warlpiri artist, Lorna Napurrula Fencer, is producing some of the best and most exciting work of her career.

Represented in the National Gallery, State Galleries and major private collections, Lorna’s work has always been in strong demand, but she seems to have found a new freedom and joy of expression that actually radiates from her stunning canvasses.

As the senior custodian for the Napurrula Dreamings such as the ancient Yam Dreaming, Lorna has always provided special and privileged insights into her Culture via her painting. Lorna has been renowned for her innate sense and use of colour, but her new canvasses have gone to a new level and explode with a vibrant, full palette of colour that brings a new vision and understanding to these ancient Dreaming stories.

Lorna’s new work is a revelation. The combination of her unrivalled knowledge of tribal lore and Dreamings along with her intuitive use of colour and free gestural brush strokes in telling her stories, has lead to comparisons with the late Emily Kngwarreye. Yet, Lorna’s work is decidedly and uniquely her own.

Lorna Napurrula Fencer was born about 1924 at Yartulu Yartulu, and is custodian of inherited land, Yumurrpa, situated near Chilla Well, south of the Granites Mine Area of the Tanami Desert. Her father’s country is Wapuurtarli.

In 1949 many Warlpiri, including Lorna Napurrula, were forcibly transported to the government settlement of Lajamanu at Hookers Creek, situated in the country of the Gurindji people, 250 miles to the north of their own country around Yuendumu. Lorna Napurrula nevertheless maintained and strengthened her cultural identity through ceremonial activity and art, and has asserted her position as a prominent elder and teacher in the community.

The travels of Napurrula and Nakamarrra kinship or “skin” groups are the inspiration for Lorna Napurrula’s work, and she is custodian of the Dreamings associated with bush potato (yarla), caterpillar (luju), bush onion, yam and also bush tomato, bush plum, many different seeds, and, (importantly) water, for the Napurrula, Nakamarra, Japarrula, and Jakamarra skin groups. She has been painting on canvas since the mid 1980’s. Before she began painting on canvas, she painted on traditional women’s coolamons and digging sticks for ceremony and for sale.

Exhibitions & Collections:

1988
People, Place and Art Group Exhibition
Hilton International Hotel, Adelaide, SA

1991
Aboriginal Art Group Exhibition
Australian Embassy, Washington USA National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne

1991
Paint Up Big: Warlpiri Womens Art from Lajamanu Group Exhibition
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Vic

1991
Aboriginal Art and Spirituality Group Exhibition
High Court of Australia Gold Coast City Art Gallery, Gold Coast, QLD

1994
Yapakurlangu Wirrkardu, Group Exhibition
Batchelor College, Tennant Creek, NT

1996
All About Art Group Exhibition
Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne, Vic
Gantner Myer Collection of Aboriginal Art

1997
Women’s Body Paint Group Exhibition
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Vic

1997
Recent Acquisitions Group Exhibition
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Vic
Museum & Art Galleries of the NT, Darwin

1997
Me Warlpiri Group Exhibition
Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne, Vic

1997-8
John McCaughey Memorial Art Prize Group Exhibition
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Vic
Holmes A Court Collection, Perth

1998
Australian Heritage Commission Group Exhibition
Canberra, Australian Capital Territory

1998
Yulyulu Group Exhibition
Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne, Vic
Margaret Carnegie Collection

1998
6th Australian Contemporary Art Fair, Group Exhibition
Exhibition Building, Melbourne

1998
Warnayaka Warlpiri Group Exhibition
Karen Brown Gallery, Darwin Leewuin Estate

1998
Wild Warlpiri Women Group Exhibition
Coo-ee Aboriginal Art Gallery, Sydney

1999
Yapa Group Exhibition Alcaston Gallery,
Melbourne, Vic Artbank, Sydney

2000
Lajamanu Group Exhibition
Japingka Gallery, Fremantle, WA

2000
Opening of Yuwayi Art Centre Group Exhibition
Yuwayi Gallery, Sydney,
NSW Laverty Collection, Sydney

2001
Little Gems Group Exhibition
Japingka Gallery, Fremantle, WA

2002
Lorna Napurrula Fencer - The Big Picture Solo Exhibition
Vivien Anderson Gallery, Melbourne, Vic.
Kerry Stokes Collection, Perth

2002
Lorna Napurrula Fencer Solo Exhibition
Japingka Gallery, Fremantle, WA

2002
Lorna Fencer - Inner Spring - New Works Group Exhibition
Mary Place Gallery, Sydney,
NSW Major Private collections in Australia & overseas

2002
Lorna Napurrula Fencer - Paintings from Yumarlpa Solo Exhibition
Vivien Anderson Gallery, Melbourne, Vic.

2003
Lorna Napurrula Fencer - Country Solo Exhibition
Chapman Galleries, Canberra, ACT

2003
Big Country Group Exhibition
Gallery Gondwana, Alice Springs, SA

2003
Lorna Napurrula Fencer Solo Exhibition
Japingka Gallery, Fremantle, WA

2003
Lorna Napurrula Fencer - Yumurrpa Dreamings Solo Exhibition
Gow Langsford Gallery

2004
Divas of the Desert Group Exhibition
Gallery Gondwana, Alice Springs, SA

2004
Lorna Napurrula Fencer - Solo Exhibition
Aboriginal Artnwx Online Gallery

Awards :

1997 - Conrad Jupiters Casino, Gold Coast City Art Award

Commissions:

1997- John McCaughey Memorial Art Prize, National Gallery of Victoria.

Select Bibliography:

Ryan, Judith Paint up Big Warlpiri Women’s Art, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne

Glowczewski, B: Yapa, Peintres Aborigines de Balgo et Lajamanu 1991 Lebon Gallery, Paris Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne

Johnson, V. The Dictionary of Western Desert Artists, Craftsman House, East Roseville, New South Wales

Isaacs, J. Spirit Country - Contemporary Australian Aboriginal Art Hardie Grant Books, South Yarra, Victoria

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