My Country: Mirdidingkingathi Juwarnda Sally Gabori

Mirdidingkingathi Juwarnda Sally Gabori (1924–2015) is a contemporary Aboriginal Australian artist whose works transcend the boundaries of traditional indigenous art while remaining deeply rooted in her Kaiadilt heritage. A senior Kaiadilt woman from Bentinck Island in Queensland’s Gulf of Carpentaria, Gabori began painting in 2005 at the age of 81, embarking on an extraordinary artistic journey that spanned a decade. During this time, she created a body of work that speaks to a profound connection between land, memory, and cultural identity, with three outstanding examples included in this exhibition, My Country.

Gabori’s paintings are bold, luminous, and evocative, characterised by bold gestures and radiant colour. They are abstract yet profoundly autobiographical, mapping the landscapes of her ancestral homeland as not just geographical references but places of personal and communal history. Each work reflects the stories, seasonal changes, and spiritual connections tied to places on Bentinck Island of deep personal significance to the artist: her husband’s place, Dibirdibi Country, her father’s place, Thundi, her own Country, Mirdidingki, and the first outstation, Nyinyilki. For the Kaiadilt people, Dulka Warngiid – the "land of all" – encompasses a holistic vision of Country, where land, sea, and sky are inextricably linked. Gabori’s art captures this interconnectedness, merging personal recollections with universal themes of belonging and loss. Her work offers an extraordinary perspective on the resilience of culture and the enduring power of memory in the face of displacement.