Dibirdibi Country 2011

Editor: Sally Gabori's "Dibirdibi Country," created in 2011 with acrylic on canvas, presents a bold composition of distinct color blocks. It strikes me as quite evocative, but also slightly puzzling. What am I missing here? How do you interpret this work? Curator: I see this as more than just color blocks. We need to consider Gabori's Kaiadilt heritage and the forced displacement her community endured. This painting, while abstract, represents her ancestral land, Dibirdibi Country. Think of the colors as cartographic—they depict specific places and memories. The pinks and oranges could symbolize the sunrise or sunset over the land, a vibrant assertion of cultural presence despite colonial erasure. Editor: So, the abstraction isn't just about aesthetics but also about claiming space, even when access to that space has been disrupted? Curator: Precisely! And consider the act of painting itself for Gabori, who started painting late in life. It became a powerful form of resistance, reclaiming her history and identity on her own terms. Her vibrant, gestural style breaks with Western art traditions. The painting becomes a political statement about Indigenous sovereignty and cultural survival. How do you see her artistic choices reflecting her lived experiences? Editor: I guess I was initially focused on the surface level—the colours, the composition. But knowing the history and Gabori’s personal story completely changes how I see it. It makes the painting feel so much more urgent and important. Curator: Exactly. It encourages us to think critically about whose stories are being told, and how art can become a vehicle for marginalized voices. Hopefully, by confronting dominant narratives and by sharing suppressed cultural views we make the world a slightly better place. Editor: Absolutely. It’s a powerful reminder that art can be a potent form of cultural preservation and political action.