Minyma Tingari (Women's Law Painting) by Nancy Ross Nungurrayi, 36x122cm 6649NN

Many of Nancy Ross Nungurrayi's paintings are closely associated with the Rock-Hole site of "Marrapinti," located west of the Kiwirrkura Community.

"Marrapinti" is a significant site where women gathered for ceremonies during the "Tjukurrpa" (creation era).

Concentric circles in her work signify locations used for ceremonies, while parallel lines connecting these sites represent 'song' lines established during ancestral activities. These lines indicate the movement from one site to the next and provide evidence of ancestral beings' presence.

Women are depicted as “U” shapes, and the background colours and designs symbolise the landscape of sand dunes and rock escarpments.

Nancy Nungurrayi's subject matter often includes body paint designs painted on women's breasts during ceremonies. Her work is noted for its beautiful fluidity and gestural quality.

Born in 1935, Nancy Nungurrayi was a highly respected Western Desert artist. Until the assimilation period in the mid-to-late '60s, she lived a traditional lifestyle northwest of Kintore with her sister Naata Nungurrayi and extended family at a site called Maya, where she was born, and later at Wala Wala, west of the Kiwirrkura Community.

A finalist in the 2001 Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards, she exhibited widely within Australia and overseas. Her work is represented in many collections, including the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), the Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW), the Queensland Art Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA), the Art Gallery of South Australia (AGSA), and the University of New South Wales (UNSW). Nancy passed away in 2009.