Niah Juella McLeod is an Aboriginal artist of mixed heritage, descended from the Monero, Wandandian, and Yuin peoples of south-eastern Australia. She is the daughter of painter Kathrin Sharp and Bobby McLeod, an Aboriginal activist, poet, healer, musician, and elder of the Yuin people.

Her work reflects her exploration of identity and her questions about her roots, both Aboriginal and Western. Niah Juella McLeod reimagines her people’s ancestral traditions, offering a contemporary narrative connected to her Country.

McLeod’s works illustrate this visceral relationship with the land, marked by a profound reciprocity. They convey that every lake, river, and mountain is part of a network of ancestral knowledge and cultural practices that preserve the balance and harmony of the community.

In this painting, she references Swan Lake, located on the peninsula and known by its Aboriginal name, Bherwherra, near the town of Jervis Bay. This is a place deeply meaningful to her, as it is where she was born. Through circular motifs, the artist evokes continuity, interconnection, and the sacred—fundamental concepts in Aboriginal culture. In particular, these concentric circles represent a waterhole (here, Swan Lake), while the cluster of circles and dots symbolizes its significance.