Born Circa. 1935 Napangarti first saw kartiya (non-Aboriginal people) when she was about 12 years old, at Ngariyili rockhole near what is now the Balgo airstrip. The kartiya (non Indigenous people) were policemen searching for Aboriginal people. Napangarti was amazed and frightened by the colour of their skin, which was red from the sun, and thought they might have painted themselves with red ochre. There were no men amongst her group, so they began to run away. One Kukatja man, Albert Nagomarra, told them not to be frightened. This is how Napangarti joined mission life at Balgo Hills. Bai Bai Sunfly Napangardi paints regularly at Warlayirti Artists in Wirrimanu, Balgo Hills and was one of the inaugural members of the artistic group known now across the world.
Around 1983 Napangarti went to Yuendumu and saw a big mural on a school wall, as well as painted coolamons. The Warlpiri women at Yuendumu gave the Kukatja women of Wirrimanu decorated coolamons to use in children’s ceremonies and told them to start painting.
After producing sandstone carvings for sale in the early 1980s, Napangarti began painting at the Adult Education Centre in about 1985 and sometimes helped her husband, Murtiyarru Sunfly Tjampitjin, with his paintings.
In 1986 Bai Bai and her husband Sunfly went to Perth, where Art from the Great Sandy Desert was being exhibited at the Art Gallery of Western Australia. They were introduced to the Queen. The artist has participated regularly in Balgo group exhibitions from 1987 onwards. Source: National Gallery of Victoria