Maranoa River Gunggari, 2024
Acrylic on canvas
30 x 90 cm
12 x 35 in
‘These paintings are about the Maranoa River and the land of my people, Gunggari country. The river flows through places like the Yumba, an old shantytown near Mitchell where my Nana was born and later laid to rest. For Gunggari people, the Yumba is important. It is a place full of connection and meaning, tied to our families and history.
I also think about Iningai country, where I grew up near Longreach. I spent a lot of time in the bush, riding my motorbike through dry creek beds or just wandering around. You would find things like old rusty bits of metal and bullet shells, and I would always wonder how they got there. It got my imagination going, thinking about what happened before me. Even as a kid, you could feel it. The land had stories, a history you could sense.
After the wet season, it was an exciting time. The waterholes would fill up, and you would see kids swimming in them. We would jump off the bridge into the river, fish with hand lines for yellow belly, and catch blue claws with potatoes. Camping by the river with family, cooking what we caught, it was a simple way to grow up, but I am really grateful for it.
These paintings are about those places, the river, the bush, and everything they hold.’
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AUD $695
