Billy Benn Perrurle was born circa 1930 in Artetyerre (Harts Range) and passed away in December 2012. His two older sisters, Ally Kemerre and Gladdy Kemerre, taught Bill how to paint on skin when he was a teenager, while living at Kurrajong/Urapuntja (Utopia). 

For over 20 years Bill worked at Bindi Inc, an organisation established to provide employment opportunities, support and advocacy for people with a disability in Alice Springs. During his time constructing metal boxes in the Brown Street workshop, he identified a space which became his corner to paint in and began to map out his father’s country via the painted image, using old boards discarded by the Alice Springs Timber Mill.

Until the early 2000s Billy had been unable to return to his homeland. His images are largely found from memory and feeling. By painting his land Bill brought the country into himself. 

Billy Benn’s paintings are often small and jewel-like yet cover a wide scope of style, born of his own lack of preciousness, his vivid imagination and colour, texture and a clear love of the medium of paint.  

Benn’s work has been exhibited at many leading private and public galleries and has been included in major exhibitions such as the National Torres Strait Islander Art Award and Desert Mob. 

He has been the subject of two books and his work has been collected by many public collections such as AGNSW, NGV, AGSA and others.

©Catherine Peattie/ Bindi Inc website and McCulloch & McCulloch