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Gallery of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Artwork

Gallery of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Artwork

Over the years, we have commissioned many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists to create art for us. These art pieces have mainly been used for the Beautiful Shawl Project, but they can also be found in some of our clinics and in our Reconciliation Action Plan. We have put together a gallery to showcase our current suite of artwork (2025).

Aboriginal art is centred around storytelling. It is used to share knowledge of the land, events and beliefs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The artists have shared their stories with us, explaining what they want to convey with their particular piece. 

"These are symbols and pictures that our people would recognise as being Aboriginal friendly. So, they are more inclined to come in and do what they have to do." Aunty Lynette Hayes, Kurnai

 

Click on the image to read the artist's story about what inspired their artwork. 

Regenerating our Wellbeing

Kedeasha Jackson
Wemba Wemba, Ngiyampaa and Wiradjuri

It represents the recovery of life itself with breast cancer. It brings strength and draws positivity, culture and regenerating a health and wellbeing. Even through the chaos, this piece brings reconciliation of understanding and peace to everyone’s journey.

Dunguludja Mulana (Strong Spirit)

Alkina Edwards
Yorta Yorta , Wemba Wemba, Mutti Mutti and Wiradjuri 

This artwork represents women empowerment, resilience and strong spirits. Within the background I have placed symbols that represent our beautiful countries and women gatherings. Showing the physical and spiritual connection we have with the land and each other. At the front of the design I have visual figures of women. This is to depict women supporting, empowering and leaning on each other through these experiences while creating cultural safe spaces for women to express themselves and share their stories. Amelia Lovett Gunditjmara The two women in the middle reminding us to get a breast screen. Circles on top with dots: Women who have gone before us that have suffered from breast cancer. Circles on the bottom with dots: Women working on country. Healing Bunjil + Waa

Calming Spirit

Heidi Chatfield
Djab Wurrung

Women coming together and gathering at meeting places across country creating safe places for healing and “Calming Spirit”.  

Women Past & Present

Amelia Lovett 
Gunditjmara

The two women in the middle reminding us to get a breast screen. Circles on top with dots: Women who have gone before us that have suffered from breast cancer. Circles on the bottom with dots: Women working on country.

Healing

Amanda Morgan 
GunaiKurnai 

The Women in the circles are the ones who have Breast cancer, the stars in the circles with them represent the loved ones & their Ancestors who have also been affected, &who also have gone before Us. The women Sitting Around the circles are the ones who are coming in to Support & Get their breast checked too. The footprints Represent all women coming together get checked as well.

Bunjil + Waa

Aunty Joanne Honeysett
Taungurung 

Bunjil and Waa are the moieties of Taungurung women, they keep us safe and keep us protected.

 

Connection

Belinda Payne  
Yorta Yorta living on Gunditjmara Country 
Connection to family Connection to country Connection to culture Connection to community Connections to family, country, culture, and community are important to help encourage breast screenings. Wrapped in connection will help Aboriginal women feel comfortable breast screening.

Inspiration

Jess Chatfield  
Gunditjmara, Djab Wurrung 
This piece was created in 2022 after I had attended a Straight Talk summit in Canberra. The stars represent our ancestors who walked before us. The women are the 60 inspirational woman I met in 2022. Then you have my connection to the water. My connection to my family. My connection to mob, and down the bottom is my connection to lands we live on.

Family Connection – Yammans (Breasts)

Melinda Cain 
Kamilaroi Yinarr Waa-uu 
My painting depicts the family connection to yamman cancer. In Kamilaroi language we call breasts YAMMANs. Four strong Kamilaroi Aboriginal women was just living their life as normal. All four women decide to have a mammogram and all four-women tested showed abnormal cells related to Breast cancer. My Mother’s breast cancer was in the lymph nodes and she began her treatment, my two aunties had both lost one of their yammans. One special aunty lost her fight with breast cancer. Always check your yammans and have a mammogram.

 

Journey

Lauren Murray 
Yiddi Yiddi Nari Nari Barapa Barapa

This artwork represents good luck, hope, power, strength, bravery, peace and new beginnings on your journey.

Women’s Circle Coming Together

Women’s Healing Group – Mullum Mullum Indigenous Gathering Place
A variety of Mobs coming together
The artwork illustrates and speaks to the healing power of Women coming together as they connect with Culture, Community and Country.

Tiddas Journey

Samantha Williams 
Wiradjuri 

This Artwork is inspired by Women's Health and Wellness. The spiritual journey we undertake each day. Women’s Health is important as we are the backbone of our families. Sometimes health issues affect us and it can be scary but we need to remember we are surrounded and guided by our sisters and ancestors. In this artwork you can see 2 women but if you look again, you will see breasts, representing breast screening, the blue lines flowing is the water representing cleansing, the circles represent the spirits guiding us and the seeds are those we are planting for the future, encouraging other women to take care of themselves. The U shapes are women and the animal tracks for goanna tracks (my totem).

 

Self care & Self love

Kedeasha Jackson 
Wemba Wemba, Ngiyampaa and Wiradjuri
Take the time to give yourself the long overdue self love and care that your mind, body and soul needs. Embrace your unique imperfections and be proud of the strong black woman you are. The sky is the limit sisters.

Bushflowers

Jenine Godwin-Thompson 
Yaggerah 
Gurumba bigi – I am a Yaggerah Aboriginal woman from the South East Queensland area known as Meeanjin (Brisbane) - which means place shaped like a spike. During COVID I was looking through my travel pictures of when I travelled for work, nationally. ‘Bushflowers’ is burst of the many colours and varieties of flora we have on Country.

We are one

Marilyn Fenton 
Gunai Kurnai 
Breast Screening is important to me and also important for my daughters and granddaughters for when they get older to have it. Breast Screening is for all the women in our community and to be award and to support them through what ever they are going through. I'm so happy I had my breast screen after all the years I didn't have it.

 

Yours, Mine & Our Journey – Breast Screening

Sally Hood 
Kurnai 
This artwork is about women from different areas coming together to encourage and support each other to attend breast screening clinics in their area. Each of the 5 women represent the many different journeys regardless of what their diagnosis is, you will see women with one or both breasts removed to women who still have both breasts and those who have defeated breast cancer. The yarning circles, waterholes and the lines within the background allow the women to remain connected to each other regardless of where they are from, whether they are from, the mountains or the seas, the rivers/waterways will always keep the connection between the women. The boomerangs are a reminder to return and have a breast screen and to call out when you need some support when times are hard. The different shades of pink along with the pastel colors represent Love and Unity between all the women who attend breast screening clinics and that they are not alone and there are supportive ACCHO’s in the area to attend when times get tough. Breast Screening, 715 Health Check’s and regular appointments are crucial to keeping up with health and wellbeing.

Yorta Itjumatj Bayi (Healthy Breast)

April Atkinson  
Yorta Yorta 
My art piece represents a Yorta Itjumatj Bayi which means healthy breast in the Yorta Yorta language. The middle symbol represents the nipple and areola and also represents women sitting. The brown stems and pink flowers that flow off the nipple represent the veins and ducts of a woman’s bayi (breast). The strong blossom of the flower shows how strong women are within their bodies and the flowers that have not yet blossomed are the new beginnings ready to grow. And finally, the wiggled lines along the border and behind the nipple and ducts represents the stretch marks that many women are blessed to have. I was inspired to do a design that shows the anatomy of a breast because I have witnessed many women in my life struggle with health issues regarding their bayi’s (breasts) like mastitis, abscesses and even breast cancer. But those women have proven to me that the new beginnings do grow.

Back to Mother Earth


Aunty Lynette Briggs 
Wiradjuri, Yorta Yorta 
Our journeys are many but our travelling path leads us back to Mother Earth, connecting us to Her Spiritual Being. Stand barefoot on Our Ancestral homelands, lay down beneath the Scared Birthing Tree that stands tall with deep roots into Mother Earth. Listen to the songlines, welcome in a new dawn, and new beginnings.

 

Women supporting women

Michelle Searle
Awabakal    
The picture tells the story of Women coming together to support, learn and grow as one. The hands are our Aboriginal women supports wrapping around us. The different patterns show how we are different in many ways, our stories and journeys are unique and, that we all have different roles to fill in our lives, a daughter, mother, grandmother, aunt, cousin, niece, friend and elder. This shawl shows that despite these differences we are united as women supporting women.

Mother & child

Eileen Harrison 
Kurnai 
I did this painting for my totally deaf grand-daughter (who is a single mum) and has a 7 yr old son the affection she has for her child. This painting depicts the connection of a mothers love for her child, the hands represent the different cultures shows a mothers special bond...

Kalat ('older sister' in Gunditjmara)

Saige Bell 
Gunditjmara and Yorta Yorta
The story of my artwork explains how the way the elder women we look up to, have experienced/acted on breast cancer can reflect or can affect our younger generation. This is why we all need to come together to support one another and encourage our mob to get our breasts checked, this includes mobs from Warrnambool, Hamilton, Portland and Heywood. The women in the picture are our elders/aunties/mums and the reflection of them below are us younger mob. The way our older women act on breast cancer can influence us younger generation. We have the community to support us, and the 4 towns from each corner coming together and supporting and encouraging each other to get the breast screens done.

 

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