Exhibition: 6 March – 11 April 2026
Opening Event: 7 March, 5 – 7pm | Artist Talk: 4 – 5pm
Sonja Carmichael’s exhibition Giibum, Gulayi murmurings – Story Bags that features her exquisite installation, Wunjayi Wagariinyai Quandamooka Jagun – Yarabin Ragi (2024) comprises 237 birrepi bunbi (little dillybags) that envelop and embody the collection of jingen jalo (food and fire). Birrepi bunbi, the copper wire woven dillybags, contain elements of Country that Sonja has spent time gathering on Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island). These elements of Country include: gara (shells) – quampi (shellfish), yugari (pippies), ginyingara (oyster); danggal (banksia nuts); tuckabin (grass tree); burney bean seeds; driftwood, gajur (coral) and yarong (sand), which all symbolise the relationship and interconnection of yarabin ragi (sea and bush) while also echoing and amplifying the stories of Ngumpi (home).
Sonja states, “My work Giibum, Gulayi murmurings – Story Bags carry the memories and interconnections between people and place, waters and sky.
Giibum (the Moon) murmurs to the seas as she moves through the sky, changing shape and signalling when it’s time for many living things to regenerate or hatch and continue on their journeys. The voices of our Ancestors, like giibum, murmur across the waters of Country with the cycles of giibum guiding seasons and changing tides.
Gulayi (Quandamooka womens bags) play an integral role in the cultural renewal and passing on of traditional practices, storytelling and memories. Women gather, weaving, sharing stories and knowledge passed through families for millennia. Traditionally woven with Ungaire, in current times a new material known as ghostnets marine debris has emerged from the sea to remind us of our responsibilities to care for Country.”
