Yanyi is an early career artist. She often paints with her sister, the well known Ernabella artist Elizabeth Dunn.

Yanyi was born in Ernabella and went to high school in Adelaide before returning home. She spent her childhood watching her elders paint and now depicts her grandmother's country, a place named Piltati near Nyapari, on canvas.

She also paints stories relating to bush foods such as kampurara - bush tomatoes and tjukula - waterholes. Yanyi is also a talented tjanpi weaver and jeweller.