Barbara Florence Weir was born in 1945 at what was formerly known as Bundy River Station in the region of Utopia, North East of Alice Springs. She belongs to the country of Atnwengerrp (A-noong-er-pa) and is both an Anmatyerre and Alyawarr speaker. Her Aboriginal mother is well-known Utopia artist Minnie Pwerle and her father an Irish station owner Jack Weir. Being of mixed heritage she was hidden from welfare patrol from the age of two and ‘grown up’ by her Aunty, the most famed Aboriginal artist of all time, late Emily Kame Kngwarreye. At the age of nine she was taken away from her family by welfare while collecting water at Utopia Station, now known as Utopia Homestead. She is one of the people known as the “stolen generation”. Barbara was taken to Bungalow (now known as the Telegraph Station), then taken to St Mary’s Home in Alice Springs. She was later moved to various children’s homes around Australia, first in Victoria followed by the Receiving Home in Darwin and the Good Shepherds Home in Ipswich, before eventually returning to Darwin. During these years she was forced to speak English and forget her native tongue, and was told that her mother was dead. Though she lost contact with her family she was determined to return to them, to show she was alive and reclaim her heritage.

In the late 1960’s Barbara returned to Utopia, the land of her birth, with her three children. There she was re-united with the famous Emily Kame Kngwarreye (now deceased), who had looked after her as a child.

The reunion was a happy one, but it was marred by the fact that Barbara was unable to communicate with the family, as she did not speak the language. Over the course of the next two and a half decades, Barbara had three more children and mastered both the Anmatyerre and Alyawarr language where she is one of the few people to do so.

On returning to her home and her unique relationship with Emily Kame Kngwarreye (who was then a well known batik artist and who went on to become Australia’s most wellknown Aboriginal Artist) Barbara became interested in painting, and showed a flair and talent for the art. In 1994, Barbara and other Aboriginal women traveled to Indonesia to learn more about the art of batik. The Utopia women were well known for their beautiful batiks as this contributed to the Aboriginal community buying back the region of Utopia in 1974, and making it their own.

Barbara returned from Indonesia full of ideas for developing her own creative style. In 1996 Barbara travelled to Switzerland and Paris at the request of a gallery owner who commissioned some of Barbara’s work. The collection was a sellout and ensured Barbara’s place as a respected artist.

In 1996, after the death of Emily Kame Kngwarreye, Barbara concentrated on developing her skill as an artist and soon attracted the attention of collectors by producing works that were contemporary in style. Some of these paintings include “Bush Berry”, “Grass Seed” and "My Mother’s Country".

In “Bush Berry” Barbara depicts small brightly coloured berries in an intricate yet bold style, often with a spiraling theme indicating the berries fruiting from a vine that wound its way around its host tree.

In contrasting style, “Grass Seed” is a series of small brush strokes, often in the earthy colours that overlap and weave to create a swaying effect, rather like the swaying of the long grass found out bush.

“My Mother’s Country” is a series of works that is testament to Barbara’s skill as an artist. Completely different to the two foremost mentioned Dreamings, these works are an intricate formation of dotwork, with various background shapes representing different aspect of the country. This background can be very subtle or quite dramatic in appearance depending on the main theme, but this series of works illustrates Barbara’s knowledge and respect for her country.