HEAR THEIR STORIES. SUPPORT THEIR DREAMS. WEAR THEIR ART.
TWO WORLDS
Created by First Nations artist Ailsa Walsh, a Lardil, Kullili and Yuggera woman.
“The inspiration for this piece was the connection between land and sea. More often than not, we see the land and sea as separate beings, but they’re a lot closer than what meets the eye. As humans, there’s plenty we can learn from their profound reliance on one another.
In the top left corner, fresh water and star constellations surround the sun. Coming out of the centre of the sun is the womb representing the link between land and sea. The lines inside the womb represent signs of life and communication. In the bottom left corner is the ups and downs of nature. From natural disasters to human interruptions, the spirit of nature ebbs and flows, but it always finds a way to bounce back. Then when you move your eye to the centre of the painting, you’ll find earth.
The earth houses layers that represent the depth of the ocean and rivers. Left of these layers is the DNA of our animals, which sits slightly above coral stretching towards the light. The thick white line represents the purity and coexistence between land and sea. On the right side, you’ll find six cells that represent the building blocks of life. The yellow dots that surround each cell represents our culture. In the far right corner, you’ll find a small star constellation that’s reflecting off the ocean at night. Each element reminds us that our culture and DNA are products of the land and sea that surrounds us.