Naata Nungurrayi was born deep in the Gibson Desert, circa 1932. Naata, along with a small group of women from Kintore and Kiwirrkura, began painting for Papunya Tula artists in June 1996. Naata began painting the sites and narratives that chart the vast tracts of country surrounding Kiwirrkura. Many early works depicted the rockhole site of Marrapinti, which is a pivotal destination in Pintupi life, where men and woman gathered to have their septums pierced for ceremonial purposes. As Naata’s confidence grew, so too did her presence among the painters.
She developed a unique iconography teeming with giant ‘U’ shapes, mollusc-like forms depicting rocky outcrops and deep-etched lines representing the endless surrounding sandhills. She has emerged as an instinctive painter whose command of line, colour and form is immediate and breathtaking. Artist and art are rarely so inextricably linked, each a precious balance of cultural authority, artistic spontaneity and whim.
Few contemporary Aboriginal painters have sustained the attention of curators and collectors so feverishly. Naata has contributed to many major national and international exhibitions. Paintings by Naata have also been acquired by many museums and art collectors.
Naata passed away on 24 September 2021.