Ancestral storys and personal history overlap in Sally Gabori’s art

The overwhelming majority of Mirdidinkingathi Juwarnda Sally Gabori’s paintings focused on Dibirdibi Country, the Country associated with the Rock Cod Ancestor, and of her husband. In 2005 Gabori was introduced to painting, and her unique style, vision and story captured the imagination of the art world. Mixing wet paints on canvas to create tonal shifts,…

Visit Makarrki, Sally Gabori’s brother’s country

Mirdidingkingathi Juwarnda Sally Gabori lived an entirely traditional life for her first 23 years, moving between her family’s main homeland sites and living according to an unbroken ancestral culture. In 1948, following devastating drought, storms and a near four-metre tidal surge, she and her kin were moved to nearby Mornington Island. In our series on her work…

Explore Sally Gabori’s world

The world of the late Bentinck Island artist and senior Kaiadilt woman Mirdidingkingathi Juwarnda Sally Gabori (b.c.1924-2015) is explored in our interactive ‘Dulka Warngiid – Land of All’. Visit Sally Gabori’s world to understand her deep connection to Country and her home, Bentinck Island which is revealed through her art in vibrant colour, bold forms and…

Gain an insight into Sally Gabori’s painting technique

Mirdidingkingathi Juwarnda Sally Gabori’s instinct for colour and composition approaches abstraction while conveying a deep connection to her important places and family. This is the tabletop on which Sally Gabori painted many of her smaller works. Her large-scale works were painted against the eastern wall of the art centre on Mornington Island, facing toward her…

Sally Gabori paints her grandfather’s country

Like so many great artists Mirdidingkingathi Juwarnda Sally Gabori — senior Kaiadilt artist from Bentinck Island in Queensland’s Gulf of Carpentaria, Australia — excelled at painting the world she knew, here she introduces you to her grandfather’s country. ‘Dingkari is an outside hunting ground to the south of Bentinck Island. It has a shallow reef…

Why is an outstation on Bentinck Island important to Sally Gabori?

Nyinyilki sits on the south-eastern coast of Bentinck Island and is home to a large permanent freshwater lagoon. Following the Kaiadilt Land Rights battles, an outstation was established there and is often referred to as ‘Main Base’ or ‘Main Camp’. Mirdidingkingathi Juwarnda Sally Gabori and the group of senior women whom she lived and worked…