Dibirdibi Country 2012

Curator: We're looking at "Dibirdibi Country," a 2012 acrylic on canvas painting by Sally Gabori. Gabori, who began painting in her late 80s, translates memories of her island home onto the canvas with remarkable visual force. Editor: Oh, wow. It’s… ghostly. Like looking at a bleached-out memory, all faded whites and hints of color. A bit melancholic, even. Curator: Precisely. Gabori’s work challenges the typical art-historical narrative by foregrounding Indigenous perspectives and lived experiences. Born on Bentinck Island, she painted her country from memory after being displaced due to a cyclone in the 1940s, followed by the Queensland government relocating the community. Editor: So, it's not just abstraction; it's a map, or an emotional landscape of a place she couldn't return to for a very long time? That layering of whites… suddenly feels heavier. Like a blanket of displacement. I feel I know that sentiment... It looks to me like it almost touches the sky. Curator: Yes. Consider this painting as an intersectional story addressing trauma and resilience. The light shades could also represent a hope to return. Editor: What's interesting is how something so… washed-out… can evoke such strong feelings. The texture itself, the almost raw application of paint, makes it feel both vulnerable and defiant. A whispered story of loss, maybe. Curator: Exactly. Gabori’s art redefines traditional notions of landscape painting and cultural preservation through the abstract. By creating works like "Dibirdibi Country", she defies the politics of erasure, offering a space for dialogue about colonization and its aftermath. Her act of cultural mapping allows a voice to suppressed trauma. Editor: It’s kind of amazing, isn't it? How art, even in its most abstract form, can become a powerful act of resistance. I like that it defies labels too, something not always 'Aboriginal art', not solely "contemporary art" but, uniquely Sally Gabori. Curator: It really highlights the capacity of art to be a vital site for Indigenous self-representation and reclamation. Editor: Yeah, something about this piece lingers. The simplicity mixed with a gut-level punch of emotion…it stays with you. A very moving piece of art.