Sally Gabori facts for kids

Mirdidingkingathi Juwarnda Sally Gabori (born around 1924 – died February 11, 2015) was an amazing Aboriginal Australian artist. She started painting when she was 81 years old. Her unique style showed her deep connection to her home, called her "Country." This was the southern part of Bentinck Island in Queensland, Australia.

Sally Gabori's art was so important that she represented Australia at a big art show. This was the 55th Venice Biennale in 2013. Her paintings are now kept in famous museums and galleries around the world. These include the Musée du quai Branly in Paris and the National Gallery of Australia.

Early Life on Bentinck Island

Sally Gabori was born around 1924. Her birthplace was Mirdidingki, on the south side of Bentinck Island. This island is the largest in the South Wellesley Group. It is located in the southern Gulf of Carpentaria, Queensland.

When she was young, Sally lived a traditional life on Bentinck Island. She lived much like her ancestors, without much contact with Europeans. She gathered food, like shellfish, from special stone fish traps. Her people had built these traps in the shallow waters around the island.

She helped build and care for these stone fish traps. Sally was also skilled at making string and weaving dillybags and coolamons. She was a respected singer of Kaiadilt songs. These songs told stories about how connected her people were to their land.

Her Names and Meanings

Sally Gabori's tribal name was Mirdidingkingathi Juwarnda. The name 'Juwarnda' means "dolphin." This was her special animal sign, called a totem. 'Mirdidingkingathi' means "born at Mirdidingki." This is the name of her home country on Bentinck Island.

Her English name, Gabori, came from her husband, Pat Gabori. His name was a simpler version of his birthplace name, Kabararrjingathi.

Moving to Mornington Island

Life on Bentinck Island became very difficult in the 1940s. There was a long period of dry weather and a big storm. Because of this, Presbyterian missionaries helped the Kaiadilt people move. They moved everyone to nearby Mornington Island.

The missionaries started moving people in the 1940s. At that time, fewer than 100 Kaiadilt people lived on Bentinck Island. The final move in 1948 happened because the island's fresh water became salty.

Later, in 1986, a small community was set up back on Bentinck Island. Some Kaiadilt people returned there. Sally Gabori could not move back because her husband was too unwell. But she was able to visit her home island sometimes.

Becoming an Artist

In 2005, Sally Gabori was 81 years old. She and her husband, Pat, were living in a home for older people on Mornington Island. A man named Brett Evans had started an art center there. It was called the Mornington Island Arts and Crafts Centre. The center helped artists make and sell traditional crafts, like Sally's weaving.

One day in April 2005, Sally was given paints for the first time. The Kaiadilt people did not have a tradition of making two-dimensional art before this. So, Sally had no art rules to follow. She simply painted from her memories of her home country.

Her Unique Painting Style

When another Indigenous Australian artist, Melville Escott, saw Sally's first painting, he was amazed. He could see the river, sandbars, and even the ripples fish made in the water. He also saw her brother King Alfred's country and the fish traps she used to care for.

Sally loved painting more and more. Soon, she was painting five days a week. She painted every day the art center was open.

Towards the end of her life, Sally Gabori painted with two of her daughters. She also encouraged her other daughters to join the art center. She wanted to help a new generation of Kaiadilt painters grow. In just eight years, she created over 2000 paintings. Almost all major art places in Australia bought her artworks. Her art has been shown in more than 28 solo shows. It has also been part of over 100 group exhibitions.

Artistic Style and Meaning

People have described Sally Gabori's paintings as "abstract expressionism." This means her art uses colors and shapes to show feelings and ideas. She did not study art theory or speak much English. So, her art was not influenced by these ideas.

Many of her paintings show the sea, sky, and land of her home. It is believed that she was not just painting for an audience. She was painting to connect with her beloved country.

Awards and Exhibitions

Sally Gabori received important awards for her art.

• 2012 Winner – The Gold Award
• 2012 Winner – Togart Contemporary Art Award

Her art has been shown in many important exhibitions:

• 2005 Sally’s Story, Woolloongabba Art Gallery, Brisbane, Australia
• 2013 Danda ngijinda dulk, danda ngijinda malaa, danda ngad – This is my Land, this is my Sea. This is who I am. This was a big show of her paintings from 2005–2012 at the Drill Hall Gallery, Australian National University.
• 2013 Personal Structures, 55th Venice Biennale 2013, Palazzo Bembo, Venice
• 2016 Dulka Warngiid – Land of All, shown at QAGOMA and the Ian Potter Centre.
• 2022 Mirdidingkingathi Juwarnda Sally Gabori - Fondation Cartier pour l'Art Contemporain, France

Public Collections

Sally Gabori's artworks are held in many public art collections, meaning they can be seen by everyone.

• Art Gallery of New South Wales
• Art Gallery of South Australia
• Art Gallery of Western Australia
• Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tomaki
• Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney
• Musée du quai Branly, Paris
• National Gallery of Australia
• National Gallery of Victoria
• Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane