Maddison Gibbs

My artworks are based on my culture, people and surroundings, they tell stories of past and present by using contemporary methods and ideologies. My works include political statements and educational information regarding Aboriginal issues including Aboriginal Matriarchy, a subject which I am extremely passionate about. I use different mediums for my works including drawing, printmaking, installation, public art, and large-scale murals.

Situated on the Catholic Church bell tower is a Serpent-like spirit sculpture, intended as a call to worship Ancient Aboriginal culture. It grows from the earth – our mother, creator, god, goddess – and wails though warped bell sounds as she experiences deep pain and ongoing trauma. As we cut down the trees, we cut off our limbs. As we poison the air, we choke our lungs. As we rape the country, there is nothing left. We are spirit, spirit is us. We look the to ‘most high’ and ‘holiest’ of places for guidance, forgetting that we are the spirit, the land, the nature, the stories and the culture. We must replace the energy taken from the earth with dance, song, story, music, words, love. Aboriginal Culture has proven the power of true worship and respect through the ongoing resilience and thousands of years of survival, this serpent spirit is a reminder that the spirits are always with us, we are the spirit.