Lily Kelly Napangardi

DOB: c. 1948
Born: PAPUNYA, YAMUNTURRNGU (MT LIEBIG), NT

About Artist:
Lilly Kelly Napangardi was born at Haasts Bluff in the Northern Territory around 1948. She moved to the newly established settlement of Papunya in the 1960s. During her time in Papunya, Lilly engaged in painting activities, notably assisting with works by her husband Norman Kelly.

Lilly returned to Mt Liebig with her husband in the early 1980s. Lilly is one of the senior Law Women of the community, teaching the younger women traditional dancing and singing. Her language is Luritja. Lilly is a respected senior law woman of the community imparting knowledge of traditional songs and dancing to the younger generation.

Lilly began painting in the early 1980s, winning the Northern Territory Art Award for Excellence in Aboriginal Painting in 1986. Lilly's hypnotic 'Sand Hills' paintings are made up of fine dots and dashes, their muted tones building up a mysterious, hidden topography of her land.

These paintings portray the depiction of the "Tali", sand hills located near her homelands. The microscopic dots show the impact of the rain and the wind as it moves across the countryside. This story was passed to her by her father and the sand hills (Tali) are a site of significance for the artist and her family

Lilly is a highly collectable artist with a strong following: she is represented in major national and international collections.


SELECTED EXHIBITIONS:
1999 Desert Mob Show, Alice Springs
2000 Graham Marshall Gallery, Adelaide
2001 Desert Mob Show, Alice Springs;
2002 Desert Mob Show, Alice Springs.
2002 Telstra Awards;
2003 Telstra Awards
2003 Neil Murphy Indigenous Art showing at Mary Place Gallery, Sydney
2003 Graham Marshall Gallery, Adelaide;
2003 Telstra Awards; 2003 Neil Murphy Indigenous Art Span Galleries, Melbourne;
2003 Desert Mob Show, Alice Springs;
2004 Neil Murphy Indigenous Art showing at Span Galleries, Melbourne,
2004 Mary Place Gallery, Sydney
2004 Graham Marshall Gallery, Adelaide.

AWARDS:
In 1986 she won the prestigious Northern Territory Art Award,
selected for 2002/2003 Telstra Award

COLLECTIONS:
National Gallery of Queensland Brisbane
The Kerry Stokes Collection, Australia;
National Gallery of Australia Canberra;
Art Gallery of New South Wales - Sydney; Art Gallery of South Australia - Adelaide;
National Gallery of Victoria - Melbourne;
Holmes A Court Collection Perth;
Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory Darwin;
Art bank Sydney; The Kelton Foundation, Santa Monica, USA;
Thomas Vroom Collection, Amsterdam;
James Erskine Collection;
Mollie Gowing Acquisition Fund for Contemporary Aboriginal Art 2003;
Thomas Vroom Collection, Amsterdam; corporate and private collections around the world.