Kitty Simon Napanangka
BIOGRAPHY
Kitty Napanangka Simon (1948–2024) was a senior Warlpiri artist whose work is distinguished by its bold abstraction and deep ceremonial authority. A respected keeper of women’s Law, Simon is best known for her powerful depictions of Mina Mina, a sacred site of central importance to Warlpiri women, located near Lake Mackay in the south-western Tanami Desert.
Simon began painting in the late 1980s before pausing her practice to raise her family. She resumed painting in 2008, at which point she developed a highly individual visual language characterised by sweeping fields of pastel colour, free-form shapes, and rhythmic dotting. These works are grounded in yawulyu (women’s ceremonial designs) and articulate the Mina Mina Jukurrpa, conveying detailed knowledge of Country through abstraction. While her paintings may appear non-representational, they are among the most descriptive visual articulations of desert Country in contemporary Aboriginal art, mapping salt encrustations, desert flowers, fire-scarred ground, soakages, and women’s ceremonial implements.
Painting was an embodied and performative act for Simon. She worked while chanting her ancestral songs, embedding cultural knowledge and spiritual resonance into the surface of each canvas. Often painting among other women, her practice was social, rhythmic, and grounded in shared Law. In her own explanations of her imagery, scorched black passages indicate fire-affected ground; white forms represent digging sticks; blue denotes the lake; pink signals women’s land; and white areas signify salt.
Initially criticised by senior men for diverging from established pictorial conventions, Simon’s work quickly attracted the attention of discerning curators and collectors. Her solo debut at Cooee Art in 2013 marked a turning point, establishing her as a significant and singular voice within contemporary Warlpiri painting. Subsequent exhibitions in Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom cemented her reputation, with her work admired both within and beyond her Lajamanu community.
In 2020, Simon temporarily lost her sight due to cataracts. Following surgery supported by Cooee Art, she regained her vision, though her painting practice slowed in her later years. Her final works demonstrate a renewed confidence and clarity, reaffirming the strength of her distinctive aesthetic and cultural authority.
Simon began painting in the late 1980s before pausing her practice to raise her family. She resumed painting in 2008, at which point she developed a highly individual visual language characterised by sweeping fields of pastel colour, free-form shapes, and rhythmic dotting. These works are grounded in yawulyu (women’s ceremonial designs) and articulate the Mina Mina Jukurrpa, conveying detailed knowledge of Country through abstraction. While her paintings may appear non-representational, they are among the most descriptive visual articulations of desert Country in contemporary Aboriginal art, mapping salt encrustations, desert flowers, fire-scarred ground, soakages, and women’s ceremonial implements.
Painting was an embodied and performative act for Simon. She worked while chanting her ancestral songs, embedding cultural knowledge and spiritual resonance into the surface of each canvas. Often painting among other women, her practice was social, rhythmic, and grounded in shared Law. In her own explanations of her imagery, scorched black passages indicate fire-affected ground; white forms represent digging sticks; blue denotes the lake; pink signals women’s land; and white areas signify salt.
Initially criticised by senior men for diverging from established pictorial conventions, Simon’s work quickly attracted the attention of discerning curators and collectors. Her solo debut at Cooee Art in 2013 marked a turning point, establishing her as a significant and singular voice within contemporary Warlpiri painting. Subsequent exhibitions in Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom cemented her reputation, with her work admired both within and beyond her Lajamanu community.
In 2020, Simon temporarily lost her sight due to cataracts. Following surgery supported by Cooee Art, she regained her vision, though her painting practice slowed in her later years. Her final works demonstrate a renewed confidence and clarity, reaffirming the strength of her distinctive aesthetic and cultural authority.
Exhibitions
2016 Making Memories, Cooee Art, Sydney
2015 Only Women Dance Till Dawn, Cooee Art & Pollon Art, New York
2013 Mina Mina, Cooee Art, Sydney
2015 Only Women Dance Till Dawn, Cooee Art & Pollon Art, New York
2013 Mina Mina, Cooee Art, Sydney
Group Exhibitions
2023 country x Country, Cooee Art Leven, NSW
2023 Embrace Equity, Cooee Art, NSW
2022 Painting Words, Cooee Art, NSW
2022 Women in Colour, Manning Regional Gallery, NSW
2021 Sydney Contemporary Art Fair, NSW
2021 Cooee: Come Here, Cooee Art, NSW
2020 20|20 Artists from Over Australia, Cooee Art, NSW
2020 Sydney Contemporary Art Fair, NSW
2019 Kitty Simon and the Ladies of Lajamanu, Cooee Art, NSW
2019 Sydney Contemporary Art Fair, Carriageworks, NSW
2015 June Tunbridge Gallery, Cottesloe, WA
2014 Masterpiece Art Fair, Chelsea, England
2023 Embrace Equity, Cooee Art, NSW
2022 Painting Words, Cooee Art, NSW
2022 Women in Colour, Manning Regional Gallery, NSW
2021 Sydney Contemporary Art Fair, NSW
2021 Cooee: Come Here, Cooee Art, NSW
2020 20|20 Artists from Over Australia, Cooee Art, NSW
2020 Sydney Contemporary Art Fair, NSW
2019 Kitty Simon and the Ladies of Lajamanu, Cooee Art, NSW
2019 Sydney Contemporary Art Fair, Carriageworks, NSW
2015 June Tunbridge Gallery, Cottesloe, WA
2014 Masterpiece Art Fair, Chelsea, England
Market Analysis
Kitty Napanangka Simon’s work occupies a unique space in the market, balancing strong community ties with international collector interest. Her distinct aesthetic and cultural authority have contributed to a steady rise in recognition. While auction records are modest, her paintings are increasingly sought by curators and private collectors for their formal innovation and spiritual depth. Her legacy is likely to gain institutional traction.
