Dibirdibi Country 2011

Sally Gabori made *Dibirdibi Country* with paint and brush—you can almost feel the movement of her hand across the surface. There’s a lot of burnt sienna, layered in chunky strokes that feel raw and urgent. Then, BAM! A cascade of white, like a waterfall, but not really. I feel like I’m standing next to Sally, watching her work. She's thinking about form, about space, about memory, and about the story of her Country. What was it like for her, painting these landscapes, transforming a blank canvas into a site of personal geography? I love the little jabs of yellow and purple, like defiant punctuation marks. Gabori's paintings connect to a lot of other artists, like Emily Kngwarreye, maybe even Joan Mitchell. There is this amazing conversation of colour and gesture happening across time, each painter offering their own unique perspective. But ultimately, painting resists easy explanations; that's where its power lies.