Mr Carroll was born in Haasts Bluff (Western Desert, NT), his mother’s country is near Docker River (NT) and his father’s near Kintore (NT). The family moved to Papunya when the new settlement was created there in 1959. He went to school in Papunya before moving to Areyonga, where he finished his education. He then travelled by horse with his family to Eagle Bore, a homeland just north of Ernabella in South Australia. He settled in Ernabella where he became an important and highly respected member of the community. Kunmanara Carroll remained in Ernabella until his passing in 2021.
As a young man Kunmanara Carroll worked building fences around the Ernabella station. He went on to hold several positions in the community including community Chairperson, warden and Director of Nganampa Health, the regional health body. He was later appointed the Community Constable, a position he held until 2006 when he retired.
Kunmanara Carroll began to paint at the Ernabella art centre in 2009, and in 2011 he started making ceramics. His distinct style depicting his father's country, Kunmanara’s custodial lands, near Kintore (NT) and Kiwirrkurra (WA) saw his work quickly become highly regarded both nationally and around the world. Annually since 2011 Kunmanara led the Watiku (men’s) ceramics workshop in the Ernabella ceramics studio. These workshops and Kunmanara’s involvement were responsible for bringing the next generation of men into the art centre.
Since his career began Kunmanara Carroll’s ceramics and paintings have been acquired by many important collections including the Parliament House collection in Canberra, the National Gallery of Victoria, the Art Gallery of South Australia, the Araluen Collection and ArtBank. Mr Carroll’s ceramics and paintings have been featured in numerous solo and group exhibitions over a relatively short period. He was shortlisted for the NATSIA Awards four years in a row from 2016-2019 and received the King’s School Art Prize in 2020.
In 2021 Carroll was named JamFactory Icon with a major solo exhibition of paintings and ceramics held at the JamFactory to coincide with coincide with the annual SALA Festival. The exhibition was accompanied by a major monograph publication (co-published by JamFactory and Wakefield Press) and toured to 12 venues nationally over the following two and a half years.
