Consolidate

Description

This painting is a tribute to the Spirit that lives within all things—from a single blade of grass to the vastness of rivers and billabongs, from rocks and trees to insects, animals, and human beings. In Aboriginal worldview, everything that is alive holds a Spirit, and with that Spirit comes knowledge gathered through time, across generations, and encoded in the land itself.

Country is a living library, storing the wisdom of the past, the lessons of the present, and the possibilities of the future. Plants, minerals, waterways, and landscapes are not passive elements, but active archives that can be connected with—if we listen through Spirit.

In contrast, Western systems, which often dismiss what cannot be seen or touched, have long overlooked this deep connection. But while the old ways of living with Country, healing through plants, and honouring Spirit may have faded in visibility, they are never lost. They are still present—alive, breathing, and waiting to be remembered.

This artwork serves as a reminder: we can always reconnect. We can turn to the land and walk barefoot through a world rich with memory, knowledge, and healing.

Symbols throughout the painting reflect this deep connection:

• The Sand Goanna embodies the relationship Aboriginal people hold with land, sea, forest, desert, and waterways across the continent. 

• The Turtles and the Torres Strait Islander Dhari honour the maritime culture and sea knowledge of Torres Strait Islander peoples. 

• The Milky Way, the Emu in the Sky, and tree bark patterns represent ancestral astronomy and ecological knowledge, understanding how to find medicine, nutrition, tools, and materials in the natural world. 

• The Wedgetail Eagle, with its 360-degree vision, symbolises clarity of perspective—seeing past, present, and future unfold all at once. 

Scattered throughout the piece are circles representing communities across Australia engaged with the UQ Poche Centre, reflecting their collaborative work in research and healing. The six outer circles symbolize diverse research methodologies that seek to understand complex issues and explore pathways to community wellbeing.

This painting is not just a visual piece—it is an invitation:

To remember. To reconnect. To walk with Spirit.

To honour the living knowledge that has always been here.