Description

Sharon Butcher Napanangka

Sharon Butcher Napanangka was born in Papunya in 1968 and became involved with the Papunya Tjupi Art Centre in 2010 as an artist. She was elected as a Director in 2017. Papunya Tjupi Arts is a 100% Aboriginal-owned and directed community arts organization, rooted in Papunya, the birthplace of the Western Desert dot-painting movement.

Sharon’s paintings vividly depict the waterholes, creeks, and sand hills surrounding Papunya. She is particularly renowned for her Kapi Tjukurrpa (Water Dreaming) works, which illustrate the elements of a storm—wind, rain, thunderclouds, and lightning. The lines in her pieces symbolize rain and the flow of water from the waterholes, often flooding the normally dry creek beds.

Her artwork is featured in numerous Australian galleries, as well as in collections worldwide, establishing her as an emerging artist to watch.