In this work, Niah Juella McLeod, an Aboriginal artist descended from the Monero, Wandandian and Yuin peoples of south-eastern Australia, explores the deep connections between memory, Country and transmission. The daughter of painter Kathrin Sharp and Bobby McLeod – poet, healer, musician and activist of the Yuin people – the artist situates her practice within a transgenerational continuum, where cultural heritage intertwines with personal experience.

“Gurad, Bagan – Earth Ground” evokes both the anchoring to the land and the spiritual journey linked to the Dreamtime, the foundation of the world and of Aboriginal traditional knowledge. The title itself combines elements of language and symbolism, where “Gurad” can be understood as a protective name, and “Bagan” as a reference to the plain, the open space, or a place of memory.

Here, the artist adopts a figurative approach marked by the presence of an intricate lattice of leaves, a recurring motif in her work, which recalls both the tree of life and the branching connections of family and spiritual ties. This vegetal mesh acts as a metaphor for the transmission between generations, between the living and the ancestors.

Using a pipette, a brush, or an echidna quill, Niah composes a hypnotic pattern of fine lines formed by tiny dots, a hallmark of her style. The chosen palette of browns, reds and beiges is highly meaningful: these colours evoke the mineral richness of the Australian soil, the very flesh of the land, the warmth of the sand, the chalk of the cliffs, and the natural pigments used for millennia.

The delicacy of the vegetal motif combined with the softness of the contrasting tones invites contemplation and reconnection with the land, perceived here not as a mere backdrop, but as a living being, bearer of memory and knowledge.