He was born in the Northern Territory, which at the time was responsibility of the state of South Australia, and died in Minjilang, otherwise known as Croker Island.

"[14] He was intensely concerned with the preservation of his culture, and he played an important role as an educator and mentor for young Aboriginal artists.

When Harold Thomas, the creator of the Aboriginal Flag was asked “Who do you think were our greatest artists?”, he responded: "I would have no hesitation to say Yirawala and Mandarkk.

"[5] Yirawala was born into the Naborn clan of the Kunwinjku language, and he was raised in the Marrkolidjban region, inland from Maningrida, an Indigenous community in Western Arnhem Land.

[8] Though little is known of Yirawala's early life, he was fathered by Nowaritj, a significant religious leader who retained knowledge of his people's symbols and cave galleries rock paintings.

[9] Spiritual and cultural knowledge is passed down by elders in the community and is integral to the Aboriginal people, therefore, Yirawala spent much of his early life learning.

[3] Picasso was an admirer of Yirawala's work and apparently said "When one observes his dynamic use of positive and negative space one understands why this is so.

He garnered a lot of guidance and inspiration from rock-art styles and transformed ceremonial knowledge into bark paintings.

This style, stemming from rock art, includes "transparent" segments that reveal inner components of the figures represented.

Skeletal structures and internal organs are often included in x-ray depictions of animal figures in Aboriginal works.

[1] This exhibition, highlighting his bark paintings, has since traveled across Australia, being displayed in Adelaide, Melbourne, Orange and Port Morseby.

Yirawala often told witty stories and had a great sense of humor which prevented him becoming completely disillusioned with the commercial art industry.

[3] Marrkolidjban outstation in the Liverpool River region played an important role in the development of Aboriginal art.

[3] He settled with his family on Croker Island in the late 1950s, by which time he was already established as an influential and respected bark painter.

[3] Lazarus Lamilami described him as one of a great line of ceremonial leaders who inherited sacred designs to be passed on to future generations.

Yirawala was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 1971 and received the International Art Cooperation Award.

Following the awarding of his MBE, Adelaide sculptor John Dowie was commissioned to create a bronze bust of Yirawala.

[3] The National Gallery of Australia was the first public institution to recognize his significance as an Australian artist,[13] as they acquired 139 of his paintings in 1976.