Title: Wirrulng Rock Site

Acrylic on Stretched Linen

80cm x 58 cm

Susan Gibson Napaltjarri Biography

Susan Gibson Napaltjarri, born in 1968 in Kintore, Northern Territory, is a Pintupi artist whose vibrant paintings illuminate the cultural and spiritual depth of her Western Desert homeland. Raised in a family of esteemed artists, Susan is the daughter of celebrated painters whose influence shaped her early connection to art. Growing up in Kintore, she absorbed the stories and traditions of her community, learning to paint by observing and participating in the creative practices of her elders. Her sisters are also accomplished artists, carrying forward the family’s legacy of storytelling through vivid visual narratives.

Susan’s work is deeply rooted in the sacred Pintupi Tingari Dreamtime stories, passed down from her mother and the women elders of her community. Her paintings often center on women’s roles as healers and nurturers, capturing the essence of ceremonies like the Birthing Ceremony, where newborns are bathed in campfire smoke to protect them from harmful spirits. This ritual, performed by the child’s mother, aunties, and grandmother, reflects the profound responsibilities of women in Pintupi culture. Susan’s art also celebrates her birth country, the Tjukurla region in the Gibson Desert, weaving together the land’s physical and spiritual significance.

Her notable work, Wirrulng Rock Site, is a powerful expression of the Tingari stories tied to a sacred site in her Tjukurla homeland. Using acrylic on linen, Susan employs intricate dot work and bold, dynamic compositions to evoke the desert landscape and its cultural resonance. Her style, while influenced by her family’s artistic heritage, is distinctly her own, marked by a unique interplay of color and pattern that brings the stories of her Country to life.

Susan’s paintings often depict the journeys of ancestral figures, such as the Kungka Kutjarra (Two Women Ancestors), who traveled through the Kintore Range, shaping significant sites like the Lampintjanya soakage. These narratives highlight the interconnectedness of land, ceremony, and community, offering a window into the enduring vitality of Pintupi culture. Through her art, Susan honors her heritage while contributing a fresh, contemporary voice to the Western Desert art tradition, creating works that resonate with both cultural authenticity and artistic innovation.