Hunting Ground – My Father's Country 

Sally Gabori, an Australian Aboriginal artist, made this painting with bold acrylics on canvas, and the result is far more than just the sum of its materials. Consider how the work’s apparent simplicity belies a deep connection to place. Gabori only began painting in her 80s, yet quickly developed a signature style characterized by vibrant color and loose, gestural brushwork. Her paintings are not direct representations, but rather emotional maps of her homeland: the island of Bentinck in Queensland, Australia. In this work, titled "Hunting Ground – My Father's Country," you can almost feel the heat of the sun, the cool of the water. The colors are laid down with an almost childlike directness, yet the composition feels carefully considered, almost aerial. The artist invites us to see the landscape not as a passive vista, but as a site of deep cultural significance, intimately tied to generations of her family. It reminds us that so-called 'naive' art can carry profound meaning, challenging our preconceived notions of skill and sophistication.