Pedro Wonaeamirri grew up in Pirlangimpi (Pularumpi) on Melville Island. After his education in Darwin, he returned to the Tiwi Islands in 1989, moving to Milikapiti in the same year that Jilamara Arts and Crafts was established. Since then, Pedro has been a prominent figure in the art world, with his work featured in numerous national and international collections. As a senior cultural leader on the Tiwi Islands, he possesses deep knowledge of the Tiwi language, songs, and dances. Pedro serves as the Vice President of the Jilamara Arts and Crafts Association and as a Director for Arnhem, Northern, and Kimberley Artists (ANKA). In addition to his acclaimed visual art career, he has published essays on Tiwi art, culture, and ceremony. His homeland, Paluwiyanga/Andranganoo (Goose Creek), lies on the eastern side of Melville Island—"the land where I come from is from my father’s father, my grandfather."

Wonaeamirri's contemporary art practice is rooted in Jilamara designs, which originate from ceremonial body painting and the intricate decorations applied to tutini poles, tunga (bark baskets), and other ritual objects for the Pukumani (mourning) ceremony and Tiwi Yoi (dance). He meticulously uses ochres sourced from Milikapiti, applying these traditional colors with great precision and the traditional Kayimwagakimi wooden comb. “The designs are already in my head, and I use the Kayimwagakimi, our traditional comb made from ironwood, and natural ochres from the island to paint.”

Wonaeamirri's work was presented in Alexie Glass-Kantor’s 2025 edition of Encounters at Art Basel Hong Kong. His work is held in institutional collections, including Artbank; Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney; Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney; National Gallery of Australia, Canberra; Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide; Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth; and the Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane. Internationally, his work features in the collections of Kluge-Ruhe Art Museum, US; the British Museum and Commonwealth Institute, UK.