Onespace warmly congratulates Sonja Carmichael on her inclusion in the forthcoming Cairns Art Gallery exhibition, Contemporary Indigenous Weaving, showing from 28 June – 14 September 2025.
The Gallery suggests that “(the curated artists) … exemplify the connection of practice to place, demonstrating vastly different responses to the theme of ‘my land’ that reflect the diversity of their individual homelands and culture. From the red dirt of the central desert to the lush green rainforests and seasonal wetlands of Northern Queensland, to the islands and sea Country of the Torres Strait and Minjerribah, each work embodies the unique experiences, histories and stories of that Country.
Wunjayi Wagariinyai Quandamooka Jagun – Yarabin Ragi (2024) is a new body of work where birrepi bunbi (little dillybags) woven with copper envelop and embody the collection of jingen jalo (food and fire). Birrepi bunbi, the copper wire woven dillybags, contain elements of Country that I have spent time gathering on Minjerribah. 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).
This exhibition is one of the many highlights during this year’s Cairns Indigenous Art Fair.
Images: Louis Lim. Courtesy of the artist and Redland City Council.