Lorna Fencer

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Born: Circ Lajamanu
Bio: At around 79 years of age, and ever since the start of her fruitful collaboration with Japingka Gallery, senior Warlpiri artist, Lorna Napurrula Fencer, is producing some of the best and most exciting work of her career.

Represented in the National Gallery, State Galleries and major private collections, Lorna’s work has always been in strong demand, but she seems to have found a new freedom and joy of expression that actually radiates from her stunning canvasses.
As the senior custodian for the Napurrula Dreamings such as the ancient Yam Dreaming, Lorna has always provided special and privileged insights into her Culture via her painting. Lorna has been renowned for her innate sense and use of colour, but her new canvasses have gone to a new level and explode with a vibrant, full palette of colour that brings a new vision and understanding to these ancient Dreaming stories.

Lorna’s new work is a revelation. The combination of her unrivalled knowledge of tribal lore and Dreamings along with her intuitive use of colour and free gestural brush strokes in telling her stories, has lead to comparisons with the late Emily Kngwarreye. Yet, Lorna’s work is decidedly and uniquely her own.

Lorna Napurrula Fencer was born about 1924 at Yartulu Yartulu, and is custodian of inherited land, Yumurrpa, situated near Chilla Well, south of the Granites Mine Area of the Tanami Desert. Her father’s country is Wapuurtarli. In 1949 many Warlpiri, including Lorna Napurrula, were forcibly transported to the government settlement of Lajamanu at Hookers Creek, situated in the country of the Gurindji people, 250 miles to the north of their own country around Yuendumu. Lorna Napurrula nevertheless maintained and strengthened her cultural identity through ceremonial activity and art, and has asserted her position as a prominent elder and teacher in the community.

The travels of Napurrula and Nakamarrra kinship or “skin” groups are the inspiration for Lorna Napurrula’s work, and she is custodian of the Dreamings associated with bush potato (yarla), caterpillar (luju), bush onion, yam and also bush tomato, bush plum, many different seeds, and, (importantly) water, for the Napurrula, Nakamarra, Japarrula, and Jakamarra skin groups. She has been painting on canvas since the mid 1980’s. Before she began painting on canvas, she painted on traditional women’s coolamons and digging sticks for ceremony and for sale.

Japingka Gallery is very proud and honoured to have the opportunity to present the work of this exceptional and unique artist. We strongly believe Lorna to be a very important and pivotal artist to the Indigenous Fine Art Movement.
Exhibitions:
CV: Collections:
1988 People, Place and Art Group Exhibition Hilton International Hotel, Adelaide, SA
1991 Aboriginal Art Group Exhibition Australian Embassy, Washington USA National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
1991 Paint Up Big: Warlpiri Women’s Art from Lajamanu Group Exhibition National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Vic
1991 Aboriginal Art and Spirituality Group Exhibition High Court of Australia Gold Coast City Art Gallery, Gold Coast, QLD
1994 Yapakurlangu Wirrkardu, Group Exhibition Batchelor College, Tennant Creek, NT
1996 All About Art Group Exhibition Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne, Vic Gantner Myer Collection of Aboriginal Art
1997 Women’s Body Paint Group Exhibition National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Vic
1997 Recent Acquisitions Group Exhibition National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Vic Museum & Art Galleries of the NT, Darwin
1997 Me Warlpiri Group Exhibition Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne, Vic
1997-8 John McCaughey Memorial Art Prize Group Exhibition National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Vic Holmes A Court Collection, Perth
1998 Australian Heritage Commission Group Exhibition Canberra, Australian Capital Territory
1998 Yulyulu Group Exhibition Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne, Vic Margaret Carnegie Collection
1998 6th Australian Contemporary Art Fair, Group Exhibition Exhibition Building, Melbourne
1998 Warnayaka Warlpiri Group Exhibition Karen Brown Gallery, Darwin Leewuin Estate
1998 Wild Warlpiri Women Group Exhibition Coo-ee Aboriginal Art Gallery, Sydney
1999 Yapa Group Exhibition Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne, Vic Artbank, Sydney
2000 Lajamanu Group Exhibition Japingka Gallery, Fremantle, WA
2000 Opening of Yuwayi Art Centre Group Exhibition Yuwayi Gallery, Sydney, NSW Laverty Collection, Sydney
2001 Little Gems Group Exhibition Japingka Gallery, Fremantle, WA
2002 Lorna Napurrula Fencer – The Big Picture Solo Exhibition Vivien Anderson Gallery, Melbourne, Vic. Kerry Stokes Collection, Perth
2002 Lorna Napurrula Fencer Solo Exhibition Japingka Gallery, Fremantle, WA
2002 Lorna Fencer - Inner Spring – New Works Group Exhibition Mary Place Gallery, Sydney, NSW Major Private collections in Australia & overseas
2003 Lorna Napurrula Fencer - Country Solo Exhibition Chapman Galleries, Canberra, ACT
2003 Big Country Group Exhibition Gallery Gondwana, Alice Springs, SA
2002 Lorna Napurrula Fencer – Paintings from Yumarlpa Solo Exhibition Vivien Anderson Gallery, Melbourne, Vic.
2003 Lorna Napurrula Fencer Solo Exhibition Japingka Gallery, Fremantle, WA
2003 Lorna Napurrula Fencer – Yumurrpa Dreamings Solo Exhibition Gow Langsford Gallery
2004 Divas of the Desert Group Exhibition Gallery Gondwana, Alice Springs, SA

Awards : 1997 – Conrad Jupiters Casino, Gold Coast City Art Award

Commissions : 1997- John McCaughey Memorial Art Prize, National Gallery of Victoria.

Select Bibliography:
Ryan, Judith Paint up Big Warlpiri Women’s Art, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Glowczewski, B: Yapa, Peintres Aborigines de Balgo et Lajamanu 1991 Lebon Gallery, Paris Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne
Johnson, V. The Dictionary of Western Desert Artists, Craftsman House, East Roseville, New South Wales
Isaacs, J. Spirit Country – Contemporary Australian Aboriginal Art Hardie Grant Books, South Yarra, Victoria

Lorna Fencer

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