Lily Karadada
Mindindil
BIOGRAPHY
Lily Karadada is a prolific and highly respected Wandjina painter from the remote township of Kalumburu, located on the north-west tip of Western Australia in the Kimberley region, an area often referred to as Wandjina Country. For countless generations, Wandjina ancestor figures have been painted and carefully maintained in nearby caves and rock shelters, forming one of the most enduring and powerful visual traditions in Aboriginal Australia.
Born near the Prince Regent River, Karadada belongs to the Wanambal people. Her bush name, Mindindil, meaning “bubbles”, recalls the moment her father observed bubbles rising from a freshwater spring and recognised it as a sign of her coming birth. Such stories of water, place and spiritual presence underpin both her life and her art.
In Wandjina belief, the ancestor beings created the land and, once their creative acts were complete, laid down in caves, leaving behind their life-giving essence in painted form before returning to the clouds. As rainmakers, Wandjina are associated with fertility, renewal and seasonal cycles. They are typically depicted frontally, with large, penetrating eyes and closed mouths, the latter said to have been sealed by the first lightning strike. Radiating lines around the head or eyes represent lightning and storm energy, while their mouthless faces ensure rain remains balanced rather than destructive.
Karadada’s refined paintings adhere to the deep conventions of Wandjina imagery while demonstrating a distinctive personal style. Her figures, often emerging through veils of rain-like dotting, are outlined with subtle tonal variation and characterised by the pointed shoulders associated with her specific cave sites. Animal spirits accompany the Wandjina, rendered with restraint and clarity. Her totems include the turkey, possum and white cockatoo, and she belongs to the Jirrengar owlet moiety, reflecting the close symbolic relationship between Wandjina and the owl.
The continuity of this tradition was severely disrupted following the establishment of the Benedictine mission at Kalumburu in the 1930s. The displacement of the Wanambal people from their lands and the suppression of ceremonial practices, including the re-touching of rock paintings, profoundly altered cultural life. Karadada recalls the physical demands of mission routines, which left little time for cultural expression. Despite this, the Wandjina tradition endured.
From the 1970s onwards, as Kimberley art entered the wider art market under the guidance of Mary Macha, Lily Karadada and her husband Jack Karadada were among the first artists to exhibit Wandjina paintings publicly in Perth. This marked a pivotal moment in the preservation and transmission of the tradition. The translation of sacred imagery into a contemporary art context did not diminish its spiritual power; rather, it ensured its survival and visibility.
Karadada works with both traditional earth pigments collected from Country and contemporary materials, incorporating techniques such as mouth-spray and hand-stencilling. While historical precedent strongly shapes the formal language of Wandjina painting, her work allows room for experimentation and individual expression. The ongoing evolution of this practice has sustained the Kalumburu community economically and culturally, providing guidance and inspiration for younger generations.
Today, Lily Karadada is recognised as one of the senior custodians of the Wandjina tradition. Her work is held in major national and international collections, and her contribution has been central to the endurance of one of Australia’s most distinctive and spiritually charged artistic languages.
Born near the Prince Regent River, Karadada belongs to the Wanambal people. Her bush name, Mindindil, meaning “bubbles”, recalls the moment her father observed bubbles rising from a freshwater spring and recognised it as a sign of her coming birth. Such stories of water, place and spiritual presence underpin both her life and her art.
In Wandjina belief, the ancestor beings created the land and, once their creative acts were complete, laid down in caves, leaving behind their life-giving essence in painted form before returning to the clouds. As rainmakers, Wandjina are associated with fertility, renewal and seasonal cycles. They are typically depicted frontally, with large, penetrating eyes and closed mouths, the latter said to have been sealed by the first lightning strike. Radiating lines around the head or eyes represent lightning and storm energy, while their mouthless faces ensure rain remains balanced rather than destructive.
Karadada’s refined paintings adhere to the deep conventions of Wandjina imagery while demonstrating a distinctive personal style. Her figures, often emerging through veils of rain-like dotting, are outlined with subtle tonal variation and characterised by the pointed shoulders associated with her specific cave sites. Animal spirits accompany the Wandjina, rendered with restraint and clarity. Her totems include the turkey, possum and white cockatoo, and she belongs to the Jirrengar owlet moiety, reflecting the close symbolic relationship between Wandjina and the owl.
The continuity of this tradition was severely disrupted following the establishment of the Benedictine mission at Kalumburu in the 1930s. The displacement of the Wanambal people from their lands and the suppression of ceremonial practices, including the re-touching of rock paintings, profoundly altered cultural life. Karadada recalls the physical demands of mission routines, which left little time for cultural expression. Despite this, the Wandjina tradition endured.
From the 1970s onwards, as Kimberley art entered the wider art market under the guidance of Mary Macha, Lily Karadada and her husband Jack Karadada were among the first artists to exhibit Wandjina paintings publicly in Perth. This marked a pivotal moment in the preservation and transmission of the tradition. The translation of sacred imagery into a contemporary art context did not diminish its spiritual power; rather, it ensured its survival and visibility.
Karadada works with both traditional earth pigments collected from Country and contemporary materials, incorporating techniques such as mouth-spray and hand-stencilling. While historical precedent strongly shapes the formal language of Wandjina painting, her work allows room for experimentation and individual expression. The ongoing evolution of this practice has sustained the Kalumburu community economically and culturally, providing guidance and inspiration for younger generations.
Today, Lily Karadada is recognised as one of the senior custodians of the Wandjina tradition. Her work is held in major national and international collections, and her contribution has been central to the endurance of one of Australia’s most distinctive and spiritually charged artistic languages.
Exhibitions
2011 - Lily Karedada: the last of the great Wandjina painters, Coo - ee Aboriginal Art Gallery, Sydney.
2010 - Lily Karadeda, Niagara Galleries, Melbourne.
2000 - Lily Karadeda, Niagara Galleries, Melbourne.
2010 - Lily Karadeda, Niagara Galleries, Melbourne.
2000 - Lily Karadeda, Niagara Galleries, Melbourne.
Group Exhibitions
2025 - At The Gallery, Japingka Gallery, Fremantle
2025 - The Women's Show - 20th Anniversary Exhibition, Vivien Anderson, Melbourne
2023 - Inspired | The Collectors Edition: Artists from the Kimberley Region, Coo - ee Art, Sydney
2023 - Ochre Painters of the Kimberley + Andrew Highfold - On the Lands, Japingka Gallery, Fremantle
2021 - Gillian and Watson McAllister Collection, Cooee Art, Bondi
2020 - Innovative Australian Women, Lauraine Diggins Fine Art, Melbourne
2016 - Important Australian Indigenous Art , D'Lan Contemporary, Melbourne
2011 - Bark Paintings 1930 - 2000 - And New Works from Bula Bula, featuring Baluka Maymuru , Banguli , Barrngandi , Bomandi , Darringguwuy , David Gurrumirringu Malangi , Dick Barinbungung , Djawida Nadjongarle , Djawida Nadjongorle , Elizabeth Nyuguwana , George Ganyjibala , George Liwukang Bukulatjpi , George Milpurrurru , Jack Madagarlgarl , Jacky Atjarral , James Gaykamangu , James Iyuna , Jimmy and Elisabeth Wululu , Jimmy Moduk , Jimmy Njiminjuma , Jimmy Wululu , John Gurruwiwi Mandjuwi , Les Mirrikkurriya , Lily Karadada , Linda Namiyal Bopirri , Lofty Nabardayai Nadjamerrek , Mickey Ganambarr Daypurryun, Nabamdlule, Narrawu Wanambi, Paddy Compass Namatbara, Peter Marralwanga, Philip Gadthaykudthay , Philip Gudthaykudthay , Robyn Djunginy, Roy Burnyila, Thompson Yulidjirri, Tom Djimpurrpurr , Tom Djumburpur, Trudy Miltjuntjun , Wally Lipuwanga , Wally Mandarrk , William Wilanydjangu at Coo - ee Aboriginal Art Gallery, Sydney.
2010 - Passing on tradition - new and old Kimberley, featuring Gordon Barney, Paddy Bedford, Jack Britten, Charlene Carrington, Tommy Carroll, Billy Duncan, Hector Jandanay, Lily Karedada, Rosie Karedada, Queenie McKenzie, Jock Mosquito, Beerbee Mungnari, Mark Nodea *, Nancy Nodea, Nancy Noonju, Peggy Patrick, Rusty Peters, Marcia Purdie, Shirley Purdie, Phyllis Thomas, Freddy Timms, Enry Wambiny @ Coo - ee Aboriginal Art Gallery, Sydney.
2009 - Floating Life - Contemporary Aboriginal Fibre Art, Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane.
2009 - Parcours des Mondes, Arts d'Australie, Stéphane Jacob, Paris, France; Dreamtime, Musée Les Abattoirs with Arts d'Australie, Stéphane Jacob, Toulouse, France.
2007 - Parcours des Mondes, Galerie Arts d'Australie, Stéphane Jacob, Paris.
2006 - Christofle invite l'Australie, Arts d'Australie, Stéphane Jacob / Musée Bouilhet Christofle, Saint - Denis, France.
2005 - Kaos, Parcours des Mondes, Arts d'Australie, Stéphane Jacob, Paris, France; Terre de Rêves, Terre des Hommes, Arts d'Australie, Stéphane Jacob / Musée de la Préhistoire d'Île de France, Nemours, France;Terre de Rêves, Terre des Hommes, Arts d'Australie, Stéphane Jacob / Ambassade d'Australie, Paris, France.
2004 - EXPLAINED, A closer look at Aboriginal art, Aboriginal Art Museum, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
2000 - Exposition collective, Arts d'Australie, Arts d'Australie, Stéphane Jacob / Espace Mezzo - Avenue des Champs - Élysées, Paris.
1999 - Exposition collective, Australie - Art, Arts d'Australie, Stéphane Jacob / J.L. Amsler - Bastille, Paris.
1997 - Exposition collective, L'Art des Aborigènes d'Australie, Arts d'Australie, Stéphane Jacob / Galerie de Stassart, Bruxelles; Exposition collective, L'Art des Aborigènes d'Australie, Arts d'Australie, Stéphane Jacob / Espace Paul Riquet, Béziers.
1994 - Power of the Land, Masterpieces of Aboriginal Art, National Gallery of Victoria.
1993 - Images of Power, Aboriginal Art of the Kimberley, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne.
1992 - Broome Fringe Festival, Broome.
1991 - Aboriginal Women's Exhibition, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney.
1990 - Balance 1990: views, visions, influences, QAG, Brisbane.
1988 - Karnta, Touring South - east Asia, [non - selling Karnta show].
1981 - Die Kunst der australischen Ureinwohner, Museum für Völkerkunde, Leipzig, Staatliches Museum für Völkerkunde, Dresden.
2025 - The Women's Show - 20th Anniversary Exhibition, Vivien Anderson, Melbourne
2023 - Inspired | The Collectors Edition: Artists from the Kimberley Region, Coo - ee Art, Sydney
2023 - Ochre Painters of the Kimberley + Andrew Highfold - On the Lands, Japingka Gallery, Fremantle
2021 - Gillian and Watson McAllister Collection, Cooee Art, Bondi
2020 - Innovative Australian Women, Lauraine Diggins Fine Art, Melbourne
2016 - Important Australian Indigenous Art , D'Lan Contemporary, Melbourne
2011 - Bark Paintings 1930 - 2000 - And New Works from Bula Bula, featuring Baluka Maymuru , Banguli , Barrngandi , Bomandi , Darringguwuy , David Gurrumirringu Malangi , Dick Barinbungung , Djawida Nadjongarle , Djawida Nadjongorle , Elizabeth Nyuguwana , George Ganyjibala , George Liwukang Bukulatjpi , George Milpurrurru , Jack Madagarlgarl , Jacky Atjarral , James Gaykamangu , James Iyuna , Jimmy and Elisabeth Wululu , Jimmy Moduk , Jimmy Njiminjuma , Jimmy Wululu , John Gurruwiwi Mandjuwi , Les Mirrikkurriya , Lily Karadada , Linda Namiyal Bopirri , Lofty Nabardayai Nadjamerrek , Mickey Ganambarr Daypurryun, Nabamdlule, Narrawu Wanambi, Paddy Compass Namatbara, Peter Marralwanga, Philip Gadthaykudthay , Philip Gudthaykudthay , Robyn Djunginy, Roy Burnyila, Thompson Yulidjirri, Tom Djimpurrpurr , Tom Djumburpur, Trudy Miltjuntjun , Wally Lipuwanga , Wally Mandarrk , William Wilanydjangu at Coo - ee Aboriginal Art Gallery, Sydney.
2010 - Passing on tradition - new and old Kimberley, featuring Gordon Barney, Paddy Bedford, Jack Britten, Charlene Carrington, Tommy Carroll, Billy Duncan, Hector Jandanay, Lily Karedada, Rosie Karedada, Queenie McKenzie, Jock Mosquito, Beerbee Mungnari, Mark Nodea *, Nancy Nodea, Nancy Noonju, Peggy Patrick, Rusty Peters, Marcia Purdie, Shirley Purdie, Phyllis Thomas, Freddy Timms, Enry Wambiny @ Coo - ee Aboriginal Art Gallery, Sydney.
2009 - Floating Life - Contemporary Aboriginal Fibre Art, Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane.
2009 - Parcours des Mondes, Arts d'Australie, Stéphane Jacob, Paris, France; Dreamtime, Musée Les Abattoirs with Arts d'Australie, Stéphane Jacob, Toulouse, France.
2007 - Parcours des Mondes, Galerie Arts d'Australie, Stéphane Jacob, Paris.
2006 - Christofle invite l'Australie, Arts d'Australie, Stéphane Jacob / Musée Bouilhet Christofle, Saint - Denis, France.
2005 - Kaos, Parcours des Mondes, Arts d'Australie, Stéphane Jacob, Paris, France; Terre de Rêves, Terre des Hommes, Arts d'Australie, Stéphane Jacob / Musée de la Préhistoire d'Île de France, Nemours, France;Terre de Rêves, Terre des Hommes, Arts d'Australie, Stéphane Jacob / Ambassade d'Australie, Paris, France.
2004 - EXPLAINED, A closer look at Aboriginal art, Aboriginal Art Museum, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
2000 - Exposition collective, Arts d'Australie, Arts d'Australie, Stéphane Jacob / Espace Mezzo - Avenue des Champs - Élysées, Paris.
1999 - Exposition collective, Australie - Art, Arts d'Australie, Stéphane Jacob / J.L. Amsler - Bastille, Paris.
1997 - Exposition collective, L'Art des Aborigènes d'Australie, Arts d'Australie, Stéphane Jacob / Galerie de Stassart, Bruxelles; Exposition collective, L'Art des Aborigènes d'Australie, Arts d'Australie, Stéphane Jacob / Espace Paul Riquet, Béziers.
1994 - Power of the Land, Masterpieces of Aboriginal Art, National Gallery of Victoria.
1993 - Images of Power, Aboriginal Art of the Kimberley, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne.
1992 - Broome Fringe Festival, Broome.
1991 - Aboriginal Women's Exhibition, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney.
1990 - Balance 1990: views, visions, influences, QAG, Brisbane.
1988 - Karnta, Touring South - east Asia, [non - selling Karnta show].
1981 - Die Kunst der australischen Ureinwohner, Museum für Völkerkunde, Leipzig, Staatliches Museum für Völkerkunde, Dresden.
Collections
Aboriginal Art Museum, The Netherlands
Hank Ebes Collection, Melbourne
Gillian & Watson McAllister Collection, Sydney
Artbank, Sydney
Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide
Berndt Museum of Anthropology, University of Western Australia, Perth
Christensen Collection, Museum of Victoria, Melbourne
Flinders University Art Museum, Adelaide
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane
The Kelton Foundation, Santa Monica, USA
Hank Ebes Collection, Melbourne
Gillian & Watson McAllister Collection, Sydney
Artbank, Sydney
Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide
Berndt Museum of Anthropology, University of Western Australia, Perth
Christensen Collection, Museum of Victoria, Melbourne
Flinders University Art Museum, Adelaide
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane
The Kelton Foundation, Santa Monica, USA
