Yilpi Adamson
Adamson (born 1954) is an Aboriginal artist from central Australia. She is known for her work in a range of art forms, including painting, sculpture, weaving, knitting and batik. Her mother was a member of the Pitjantjatjara people and her father was Yankunytjatjara.
Also recorded as Imiyari Adamson
Yilpi Adamson
- Born
- 1954 · Northern Territory.
- Nationality
- Australia
- Occupation
- painter · stone carver
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identity unresolved · checked 25 September 2026
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wikidata · Q12860164 · wikipedia · Yilpi Adamson
In this article
Key facts
When Yilpi was still very young, her parents came to live at Ernabella, a Presbyterian mission in northwest South Australia. She grew up there, and later began working at Ernabella Arts. Batik was one of the first forms of art Yilpi learned to make at Ernabella. Several of her works were shown at an exhibition in Adelaide in 2006, and one of these was bought for the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney. Later examples of her batik works were bought by the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh. Yilpi is also known for making woven items, such as baskets, out of tjanpi (desert grass). She made several objects with a women's project called the Tjanpi Desert Weavers. Yilpi began painting much more recently. She has painted both abstract and figurative works. The abstract works are expressions of her Dreamtime legends, passed down to her from her mother. Her most successful works, however, are the figurative paintings of her life as a child in Ernabella in the 1950s. Examples of Yilpi's paintings are held in the Art Gallery of South Australia and the National Museum of Australia. The National Gallery of Australia also has a series of ceramic pots that Yilpi painted with Malpiya Davey, Alison Carroll, and other Ernabella women. The National Gallery of Victoria also owns several of her works.
• Name — Yilpi Adamson • Birth Name — Imiyari • Born — 1954 • Birthplace — Northern Territory • Occupation — Artist • Years Active — 2005 – present • Organization — Ernabella Arts • Style — Western Desert painting, weaving, batik, sculpture • Spouse — Trevor Adamson Imiyari "Yilpi" Adamson (born 1954) is an Aboriginal artist from central Australia. She is known for her work in a range of art forms, including painting, sculpture, weaving, knitting and batik. Yilpi was born at a place near Uluru, in the Northern Territory. Her mother was a member of the Pitjantjatjara people and her father was Yankunytjatjara. When Yilpi was still very young, her parents came to live at Ernabella, a Presbyterian mission in northwest South Australia. She grew up there, and later began working at Ernabella Arts. Batik was one of the first forms of art Yilpi learned to make at Ernabella. Several of her works were shown at an exhibition in Adelaide in 2006, and one of these was bought for the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney. Later examples of her batik works were bought by the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh. Yilpi is also known for making woven items, such as baskets, out of tjanpi (desert grass). She made several objects with a women's project called the Tjanpi Desert Weavers. Yilpi began painting much more recently. She has painted both abstract and figurative works. The abstract works are expressions of her Dreamtime legends, passed down to her from her mother. Her most successful works, however, are the figurative paintings of her life as a child at Ernabella in the 1950s. Examples of Yilpi's paintings are held in the Art Gallery of South Australia and the National Museum of Australia. The National Gallery of Australia also has a series of ceramic pots that Yilpi painted with Malpiya Davey, Alison Carroll, and other Ernabella women. The National Gallery of Victoria also owns several of her works.
Named by the record
Places
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Pukatja
Residences
Northern Territory.
Birth place
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.McDonald, Pattrick. Ernabella days. The Advertiser. 55. 13 August 2011.
- 2.Artist: Imiyari (Yilpi) Adamson. National Gallery of Victoria.
- 3.Memories and Maps: Stories from the Bush. Artbase. September 2025.
- 4.Raiki Wara (long cloth) batik by Yilpi Adamson of Ernabella Arts Inc South Australia, 2000 - 2006. Powerhouse Museum.
- 5.National Museum of Australia. Ultukunpa by Yilpi Adamson. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award (ATSIAA) Collection.
- 6.Art Gallery of South Australia. Adamson, Imiyari (Yilpi).
- 7.National Gallery of Australia. Kungkarangalpa munu wati Nyirunys (2007). Collection Online.
- 8.Short Street Gallery. Details of Imiyari (Yilpi) Adamson.
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 24 August 2026.
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