Artist Bio – Pearl Chaloupka

Pearl Chaloupka is a Ballardong, Czech, British and Welsh artist, born in Darwin and shaped by the stories and traditions of her family. Her father, a Czech refugee and rock art anthropologist, introduced her to the ancient markings of Country through his careful studies and drawings. Her mother, a Ballardong ceramicist whose work is housed in the Northern Territory Museum and Art Gallery, instilled in Pearl the power of creating with clay and earth.

Pearl was honoured to be given the kinship totem of the white cockatoo by her Aboriginal grandfather, Nipper Kabirriki, and the echidna totem by Whadjuck Elder Marie Taylor. These cultural lineages are woven through her practice, which draws influence from the cross-hatching traditions (RAAK) of Northern Territory classical art.

She studied a Bachelor of Visual Arts (Honours) at the Canberra School of Art, Australian National University, and has exhibited widely. In 2024 she was awarded the City of Bayswater’s Resident’s Art Prize, and one of her prints is held in the National Gallery of Australia.

Each of Pearl’s works is a meditation — every brushstroke an offering of stillness, quiet reflection, and peace. Alongside her art, she works with people living with severe mental illness and disability, grounding her creative practice in empathy, resilience, and healing.