Margaret was born in Kalpirti, but left this country a long time ago. It is the place of her people and the country of her parents. She is a part of the Yulparija people whose existence was threatened by severe drought in the 1970s. She travelled with her family to the coastal town of Bidyadanga where she now lives.

Since Margaret started painting in 2003 her work has enjoyed critical acclaim and she has been widely exhibited. She combinations the traditional imagery of the Great Sandy Desert with the vibrant colours of the saltwater landscape she now inhabits.

Exhibitions
2008
25th Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award, MAGNT, Darwin
Margaret Baragurra Kalpirti, William Mora Galleries, Melbourne
From the Desert to Saltwater, Booker-Lowe Gallery, Houston, Texas
Bidyadanga Artists, AP Bond Art, Adelaide SA
2007
Yulparija - New Works on Board, Short St Gallery, Broome WA
Chapman Galleries, Canberra, ACT
Bidyadanga, Raft Art Space, Darwin, NT
Desert Heart, Nevill Keating Gallery, London, England
From the Bungalow I: Yulparija Artists, Johnston Gallery, Perth, WA
2006
Northern Journey, The Priory at Bingie, Bingie, NSW
2005
New Works from Kirriwirri, Art House Gallery, Sydney, NSW
The Return of Our Land, Gallery Gondawna, Alice Springs, NT
Big Country, Gallery Gondwana, Alice Springs, NT
Searching for the Best, Chapman Gallery, Canberra, ACT
Bidyadanga 2005, Short st. Gallery, Broome, WA
2004
Desert Ocean, Short st. Gallery @ Kidogo Gallery, Fremantle, WA
Divas of the Desert, Gallery Gondwana, Alice Springs, NT
Bidyadanga Artists, William Mora Gallery, Melbourne, Vic
Bidyadanga Art, Art House Gallery, Sydney, NSW
Bidyadanga Artists, Raft Art Space, Darwin, NT
National Telstra Art Awards, Northern Territory Art Gallery, Darwin, NT
Desert to Saltwater, Short st. Gallery@ Mary Place Gallery, Sydney, NSW
2003
Manyiljara, Short st. Gallery, Broome, WA

Collections
National Gallery of Australia
Notre Dame University
Laverty Collection
Kerry Stokes, Perth
Sam Barry Collection
QLD State Gallery

Bibliography
The Age Newspaper, Dreamtime Designers, Bruce Elder, March 15 2008
The New McCulloch's Encyclopedia of Australian Art, 2006