Bai Bai Napangardi

Bai Bai was the senior Law woman of Balgo and number one song woman. Her country extends from Mangkayi in the Stansmore Ranges to just south of Yagga Yagga. Bai Bai has travelled extensively for cultural reasons, including dancing at the Shinju Matsuri Festival in Perth in 1989 and touring to demonstrate traditional sand drawing in 2005. She spent her youth and early adult years living and moving through her familys land learning traditional law and culture. Bai Bai began to paint in 1986 in Balgo, and since then has introduced her daughters to painting- Pauline Sunfly has become an esteemed painter in her own right. Bai Bai has been involved in several publications includingYarrtji: Six womens stories from the Great Sandy Desert, 1997, Aboriginal Studies Press, Canberra, which was shortlisted for the NSW Premiers History Awards in 1998. A glass coolamon created by Bai Bai was gifted to the Australian Parliament House as part of the Sorry Day proceedings. Bai Bai was a long serving member of the Kimberley Land Council and a strong practitioner of womens Law and culture in Balgo. Bai Bai was married to artist Sunfly Tjampitjin (c1916-1996). Bai Bai is a respected senior law woman from Balgo, with her traditional country spanning from Mangkayi in the Stansmore Ranges to just south of Yagga Yagga. Her role involves extensive travel for cultural purposes, including a notable performance at the Shinju Matsuri Festival in Perth in 1989. Bai Bai's early years were deeply rooted in learning the traditional laws and culture as she travelled through her family's lands. She embarked on her painting career in 1986 in Balgo, and since then, has played a significant role in nurturing the artistic talents of younger family members, introducing them to painting and the cultural narratives that accompany this practice. Her commitment to preserving and promoting Indigenous culture extends beyond her art. Bai Bai has contributed to several publications, most notably to Yarrtji: Six Women’s stories from the Great Sandy Desert, published in 1997 by Aboriginal Studies Press, Canberra. This work was recognized for its cultural and historical significance and was shortlisted for the NSW Premier’s History Awards in 1998. Bai Bai's contributions are not limited to the arts. She is a longstanding member of the Kimberley Land Council, where she has been an influential voice in land rights discussions and a staunch advocate for women's law and culture in Balgo. Her life and work are further enriched by her partnership with the late artist Sunfly Tjampitjin, with whom she shared not only her personal life but also a deep commitment to their community’s cultural heritage and artistic expression. Through her diverse efforts, Bai Bai has significantly impacted her community and the preservation and interpretation of its cultural practices.

1998 - selected for the NSW Premier's History Awards.

2020 – Matriarchs, Paul Johnstone Gallery, Darwin, NT, Australia
2019 – Wirrimanu Balgo Artists, Japingka Aboriginal Art, Fremantle, WA, Australia
2018 – WAu! Focus on Western Australia, Rovaniemi Art Museum, Rovaniemi, Finland
2017 – Tarnanthi Festival, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia
2017 – Finalists 1997–2017, ARTKELCH, Freiburg, Germany
2017 – Farben der Wüste, ARTKELCH @ Teppichhaus Jordan, Waldshut-Tiengen, Germany
2015 – Warlayirti Artists, Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair, Darwin Convention Centre, Darwin, NT, Australia
2014 – Warlayirti: The Art of Balgo, RMIT Gallery, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
2014 – Warlayirti Artists, Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair, Darwin Convention Centre, Darwin, NT, Australia
2014 – Balgo: Past & Present, Cooee Art Gallery, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2014 – Private Eye, Japingka Gallery, Fremantle, WA, Australia
2014 – Yaninpala Yirwarrawanna Kutjupa Ngurrarrakutu: Walking the Path, Nomad Art Gallery, Darwin, NT, Australia
2013 – Desert Mob Exhibition, Araluen Arts Centre, Alice Springs, NT, Australia
2013 – Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair, Darwin Convention Centre, Darwin, NT, Australia
2013 – In Print 20/20: Celebrating 20 Years of Prints & Printmaking, Northern Editions / Charles Darwin University Art Collection, Darwin, NT, Australia
2013 – Convergence: Warlayirti Artists, Short Street Gallery, Broome, WA, Australia
2013 – Kuralka Tjanu Tjukurrpa: Kuwarri Marr Ku (Old Stories: New Creations), Northern Editions, Nan Giese Gallery, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, NT, Australia
2013 – Nora Wompi & Friends, Suzanne O’Connell Gallery, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
2013 – Seoul Open Arts Fair, Seoul, South Korea
2012 – Desert Mob, Araluen Arts Centre, Alice Springs, NT, Australia
2012 – Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair, Darwin Convention Centre, Darwin, NT, Australia
2012 – Watermark: The Signature of Life, IDAIA Gallery, Hong Kong
2012 – Gestuelles: The Art of Transmission by Aboriginal Desert Women, IDAIA / Alliance Française Touring Exhibition, Australia
2012 – Pro Community: Warlayirti Artists, ARTKELCH Touring Exhibition, Freiburg / Leipzig / Hamburg / Schorndorf / Überlingen, Germany
2012 – Luminous World: Contemporary Art from the Wesfarmers Collection, Art Gallery of Western Australia Touring Exhibition, Perth, WA, Australia
2011 – Desert Mob, Araluen Arts Centre, Alice Springs, NT, Australia
2011 – Balgo 2011, Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
2011 – Balgo 2011, ReDot Gallery, Singapore
2010 – Mixed Exhibition, Palya Art, Sydney, NSW / Melbourne, VIC / Perth, WA, Australia
2010 – Ingalimpa Tjuntu: Singing Songs – “We Sing the Country and That’s How We Find the Way”, ReDot Gallery / Audi Forum, Tokyo, Japan
2010 – Balgo Prints, Northern Editions, Darwin, NT, Australia
2010 – Colours: From the Desert to the Factory, ARTKELCH Collectors Lounge @ kptec, Schorndorf, Germany
2010 – Circles in the Sand: Aboriginal Art from Central Australia in the Kluge-Ruhe Collection, Embassy of Australia, Washington, DC, USA
2009 – Aboriginal Art: Window to Culture, ARTKELCH @ Australian Embassy, Berlin, Germany
2009 – All About Country: Aboriginal Art aus der Central und Western Desert, ARTKELCH, Freiburg, Germany
2008 – Balgo Survey, ReDot Gallery, Singapore
2008 – Balgo 2008, Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
2008 – Mixed Exhibition, Palya Art, Melbourne, VIC / Sydney, NSW / Perth, WA, Australia
2007 – Balgo 07, Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
2007 – Women with Sticks, Suzanne O’Connell Gallery, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
2007 – Mixed Exhibition, Palya Art, Melbourne, VIC / Sydney, NSW / Perth, WA, Australia
2007 – New Balgo Prints & Glass, Northern Editions, Darwin, NT, Australia
2007 – Warlayirti Survey, Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
2007 – Warlayirti Survey, Gallery Gondwana, Alice Springs, NT, Australia
2007 – Warlayirti Survey, Aboriginal & Pacific Art Gallery, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2007 – Warlayirti Survey, Woolloongabba Art Gallery / Alcaston Gallery, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
2006 – Recent Works, Raft Art Space, Darwin, NT, Australia
2006 – Recent Works, Short Street Gallery, Broome, WA, Australia
2006 – Desert Mob, Araluen Arts Centre, Alice Springs, NT, Australia
2006 – Survey Exhibition, Gallery Gondwana, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2005 – Warlayirti Artists: Glass from the Sand Country, Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
2005 – Yilpinji: Love, Magic and Ceremony, Galerie DAD, Mantes-la-Jolie, France
2005 – Balgo 2005, Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
2005 – Desert Inks, Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
2004 – Colour Power: Aboriginal Art Post-1984, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
2004 – Balgo 4-04, Warlayirti Artists, Wirrimanu (Balgo), WA, Australia
2004 – Recent Works, Short Street Gallery, Broome, WA, Australia
2004 – Desert Mob, Araluen Arts Centre, Alice Springs, NT, Australia
2004 – Balgo Prints, Northern Editions, Darwin, NT, Australia
2003 – Art Aborigène Contemporain, Arts d’Australie / Cankarjev Dom, Ljubljana, Slovenia
2003 – Eight by Three, Scott Livesey Galleries, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
2003 – Desert Mob, Araluen Arts Centre, Alice Springs, NT, Australia
2003 – Purtatjanirri Kamu Warrmala, Framed Gallery, Darwin, NT, Australia
2002 – Desert Mob, Araluen Arts Centre, Alice Springs, NT, Australia
2002 – Balgo, Fremantle Arts Centre, Fremantle, WA, Australia
2002 – Balgo Hills Artists 2002, Art Mob Aboriginal Fine Art, Hobart, TAS, Australia
2002 – Art from Balgo, Gallery Gondwana, Alice Springs, NT, Australia
2002 – Big Colour My Country, Thornquest Gallery, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia
2001 – Opening Exhibition, Thornquest Gallery, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia
2001 – Recent Works by Artists from Balgo Hills, Ochre Gallery, Collingwood, VIC, Australia
2001 – Kutjungka, Bett Gallery, Hobart, TAS, Australia
2001 – Balgo Artists Return to Country, Vivien Anderson Gallery, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
2001 – Arts d’Australie, Stéphane Jacob Gallery, Paris, France
2000 – The Westside: Images in Ochre and Colour, Coo-ee II Exhibiting Gallery, Yuwayi Art Precinct, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2000 – Accents Australiens, Arts d’Australie / Espace Adamski Designs, Paris, France
2000 – Olympic Exhibition, Coo-ee Exhibiting Gallery, Yuwayi Art Precinct, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2000 – Past, Present and Future, Gallery East, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2000 – Waltja Family, Hogarth Galleries, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2000 – Balgo Hills Aboriginal Paintings, Bett Gallery, Hobart, TAS, Australia
1999 – Miliynyin, Japingka Gallery, Fremantle, WA, Australia
1998 – Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award (17th NATSIAA), Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin, NT, Australia
1998 – Painting Country, Pearlers Row Gallery, Broome, WA, Australia
1997 – New Paintings by Balgo Women, Vivien Anderson Gallery, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
1997 – Daughters of the Dreaming: Sisters Together Strong, Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
1996 – Balgo Hills: Art of the Place, Derek Simpkins Gallery of Tribal Art, Vancouver, BC, Canada
1995 – On the Trail of the Kingfisher: Aboriginal Art from Balgo Hills, Coo-ee Aboriginal Art Gallery, Paddington, NSW, Australia
1995 – Two Men Dreaming: New Art from Balgo Hills, Coo-ee Aboriginal Art Gallery, Paddington, NSW, Australia
1994 – Aboriginal Desert Women’s Law, Ballarat Fine Art Gallery, Ballarat, VIC, Australia
1993 – Images of Power: Aboriginal Art of the Kimberley, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
1991 – Yapa: Peintres Aborigènes de Balgo et Lajamanu, Baudoin Lebon Gallery, Paris, France
1991 – Aboriginal Art and Spirituality, High Court of Australia, Canberra, ACT, Australia
1990 – Recent Balgo Paintings, Dreamtime Gallery, Perth, WA, Australia
1989 – Balgo Paintings, Robert Steele Gallery, Adelaide, SA, Australia
1989 – Balgo Paintings, Dreamtime Gallery, Perth, WA, Australia
1989 – Recent Paintings from Balgo, Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
1988 – Art from Balgo Hills, Birukmarri Gallery, Fremantle, WA, Australia
1986 – Art from the Great Sandy Desert, Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia

Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
Berndt Museum of Anthropology, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
Helen Read Collection, Australia
Kelton Collection, USA
Ken Thompson and Pierre Marecaux Collection, Australia
Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
Laverty Collection, Sydney, NSW, Australia
Morven Estate Collection, UK
Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin, NT, Australia
Musée des Confluences, Lyon, France
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
The Holmes à Court Collection, Perth, WA, Australia

Warlayirti Artists