Destiny Deacon was born in 1957, belonging to the K'ua K'ua and Erub/Mer peoples of Maryborough, Queensland. She completed a Bachelor of Arts (Politics) at The University of Melbourne in 1979 and a Diploma of Education at La Trobe University, Melbourne in 1981, after which she commenced working as a history teacher. 

Since 1990 Deacon's work has been primarily involved with photography, exploring Indigenous identity with often provocative and humorous imagery that mocks and satirises cliched and racist stereotypes.

Deacon's work was included in Aboriginal Women's Exhibition at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney and Kudjeris, at Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Co-operative, Sydney in 1991. She held her first solo exhibition, Caste Offs, at the Australian Centre for Photography, Sydney in 1993, and participated in Can't See for Lookin' - Koori Women Educating at the Access Gallery, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne and Australian Perspecta 1993 at the Art Gallery of New South Wales that same year. 

Deacon has held more than a dozen solo shows and has participated in numerous exhibitions in museums, commercial galleries and artist run spaces. She has made a number of video works, solo and in collaboration with other artists. Abi See Da Classroom (2006), made with Virginia Fraser, collated archival TV news and documentary footage combined with a soundtrack of songs that highlighted the patronising attitudes to Aboriginality, past and present.