Barrupu Yunupingu grew up at Yirrkala, attending the mission school. She trained and worked as a nurse at the Yirrkala clinic until its closure in 1975. When the Yirrkala printspace was commissioned she was one of the first women to complete works. Her works were included in the Printmakers first exhibition in Yirrkala in 1998 and she continues to produce works through this organisation.