Christine Yukenbarri
Born 1977
Kukatja language group, Nakamarra skin group
Balgo community
Warlayirti Artists
Christine is the daughter of two of Balgo’s most famous artists: Helicopter Tjungurrayi and Lucy Yukenbarri. She learned to paint in the kinti-kinti (close-close) style of dotting pioneered by her mother. After this important apprenticeship at her mother’s side, Christine has become one of the leading younger artists in the Western Desert. She lives in Balgo with her father and sisters.
Winpurpurla
2007, Christine Yukenbarri
acrylic on canvas, 150 x74.5 cm
Warlayirti Artists
National Museum of Australia
Christine has painted her mother’s Country south of Balgo and east of the Canning Stock Route. Winpurpula, the central circle, is a yinta or ‘living water’. Lukarrara (a type of seed) and bush fruits, such as kumpupatja (bush tomato), grow there. The strong lines in the painting are the tali (sandhills) that dominate this Country.
