Patricia Piccinini was born in Freetown, Sierra Leone, in 1965 and arrived in Australia in 1972. She studied Economic History at the Australian National University and the University of Sydney, before completing a Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting at the Victorian College of the Arts, University of Melbourne, in 1991. In 2017, Piccinini was made an Enterprise Professor by the Victorian College of the Arts, University of Melbourne.

Piccinini has been the recipient of numerous awards, including Arts Victoria grants in both 1996 and 1999; the Australia Council Tokyo artist-in-residence studio in 1998; an Australia Council New Media Arts Fellowship in 2000; and an Australia Council New York Residency in 2006. Notably, Piccinini represented Australia at the 50th Venice Biennale in 2003, and has since presented numerous solo exhibitions in international museums, including ‘Curious Affection’ at GOMA in 2018.