"Women's Ceremony" by Sharon Numina Napanangka

Artist Biography – Sharon Numina (b. 1981)

Utopia • Central Desert Artist – Darwin, NT

Sharon Numina is one of the highly regarded younger members of the renowned Numina Sisters, a celebrated group of desert artists recognised for their vibrant storytelling and strong cultural lineage. Born in 1981, Sharon completed her schooling at Kormilda College in Darwin and is one of six sisters and two brothers.

Sharon’s mother, Barbara Price Mbitjana, is a respected elder and painter from Stirling Station near Tennant Creek. She taught all her daughters the traditions of painting, cultural knowledge, and the stories inherited from Country. Sharon’s late father was from Utopia, further strengthening her connection to one of Australia’s most significant artistic regions.

Her work draws from both her mother’s and father’s Country, depicting important Dreaming narratives such as Bush Tucker, Goanna, and Dingo Tracks, among many other ancestral motifs. Sharon, her sisters, and her mother come from a distinguished family line within the Central Desert art movement. Their wider artistic lineage includes their celebrated aunts, Gloria and Kathleen Petyarre, who are internationally recognised for their contributions to contemporary Aboriginal art.

Sharon now lives and paints in Darwin alongside several of her sisters, continuing the strong Numina legacy with a style admired for its movement, detail, and cultural depth.

Women’s Ceremony Dreaming – Artwork Meaning

In this painting, Sharon Numina depicts the sacred Women’s Ceremonies that have been carried out across her Country for countless generations. These ceremonies are a cornerstone of Anmatyerre and Alyawarr culture, where women gather to celebrate their connection to Country, kinship, and ancestral knowledge.

The intricate flowing patterns and clustered motifs symbolise the movement of women coming together in unity — preparing ceremonial sites, singing sacred songs, and creating body paint designs passed down from their mothers, aunties, and grandmothers. Each mark represents knowledge being shared: bush foods harvested, healing plants prepared, tools crafted, and stories taught to younger women to ensure traditions remain strong.

The circles within the composition represent waterholes, meeting places, and Camp Law grounds where cultural teachings are held and respected. The rhythmic repetition throughout the artwork reflects the powerful harmony of women working collectively to fulfil their responsibilities to land, culture, and family.

Sharon paints this story with both deep cultural respect and personal pride, honouring her role as a woman within this lineage of knowledge holders. This artwork is a tribute to the enduring strength, resilience, and leadership of Aboriginal women — the keepers of culture and protectors of Country.