Rhonda Sharpe
Yarrenyty Arltere Town Camp, Mparntwe / Alice Springs, NT
"That's me with my thyroid sickness cut on my throat. With my pretty dress and top. And Candy the dog and the pussycat too. I love Candy the dog. She used to come every day with me to the art room. She was first Dulcie's dog but she just started loving me. She was really good company. When I got sick, Candy was always there like a good friend, always by my side."
About the Artist
Rhonda Sharpe was born in Mparntwe / Alice Springs in 1977. She lived sometimes at Kwale Kwale, or at Trucking Yards Town Camp, and went to Yipirinya School.
Rhonda discovered her interest and passion for making soft sculptures when she followed her Aunty Dulcie Sharpe into the art room one day. From initially watching the other artists around her, Rhonda has, over the years, developed her skills, style and subject matter to reflect her own personal journey. From delicate stitched creatures to figures that depict profoundly honest personal stories, she has become an artist who has pushed textile sculpture into the realm of contemporary art.
Rhonda�s work is widely celebrated and has become highly collectable. It is held in many significant national collections and is sought after by private collectors. In 2021, she was the overall winner in the Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize, and was also a finalist in two categories in the 2021 National Indigenous Fashion Awards. She has twice won the Wandjuk Marika Memorial 3D Award in the Telstra NATSIAA and has been a finalist three times.
