My Country 2011

Sally Gabori painted “My Country” with broad brushstrokes of vivid color, channeling the essence of her homeland. The abstract shapes and hues are not mere representations but symbolic vessels, each carrying the weight of ancestral stories and the spirit of her native Bentinck Island. Notice how the composition echoes motifs found in ancient cartography, where land is depicted not just as physical space, but as a repository of cultural memory. The bold pinks and oranges, reminiscent of fire and earth, resonate with the same primal energy seen in cave paintings, where color was used to evoke the life force of the land. Consider the vertical lines of the composition. These can be related to the depiction of sacred pillars in ancient temples, symbolizing a connection between the earthly and the divine. In Gabori’s painting, they evoke a similar spiritual dimension, a testament to the land's profound impact on her subconscious. These symbols of place and belonging evoke a deep, subconscious connection to her heritage. Just as these symbols have evolved, so too do our understandings of them, creating a layered, cyclical narrative of culture and memory.