Justin Corby was born and raised in Kintore, a remote community near the Northern Territory–Western Australia border. His father, Lindsay Corby, is a respected artist who continues to live in Kintore and paint with Papunya Tula Artists, one of the most influential art collectives in the Western Desert movement. Growing up surrounded by artists, Justin was immersed in the traditions of desert painting from an early age, learning both the technical aspects of the art form and the deep cultural narratives embedded within it.

Justin’s work is primarily focused on his father’s ancestral Dreaming—Kanpi (Emu) Dreaming—connected to ‘20 Mile’ near Napperby. This Dreaming tells the story of emus traveling back to their country, west of Nyirrpi, following ancient songlines that map the land, its sacred sites, and the spiritual forces that govern it. The emu, a powerful symbol in Western Desert mythology, is associated with survival, migration, and the transmission of knowledge.

His artistic influences extend beyond his father and the Papunya Tula movement. He draws inspiration from senior Pintupi-Luritja artists who pioneered contemporary Western Desert art, such as Uta Uta Tjangala and George Tjungurrayi, whose works emphasise the rhythmic, pulsating energy of country.