Dibirdibi Country 2007

Sally Gabori made this painting with luscious colours and bold gestures. Imagine the brushstrokes as they met the canvas, like a dance of intuition and memory. There’s a conversation happening between the black mass at the top and the fiery red shape beneath. It feels like a dialogue, maybe about land, or place. This painting feels like a map of a feeling, a place held in the heart and mind. When I look at the lower band of vibrant yellow, I am struck by its intensity, like the sun beating down on the land. Gabori painted a landscape alive with sensation. She came to painting later in life, yet her work has this incredible freedom. It reminds me of other painters like Joan Mitchell, who sought to capture emotional landscapes. Artists are always in conversation, aren’t they? Sharing something about what it feels like to be in this world, with all its complexities and beauties.