The Bana Gugaa Waraawara series by Niah Juella McLeod is a work deeply rooted in both her territory and family memory. Its title, which can be translated as “Rain on Stringy Bark with Fishing Line,” immerses us in a scene that is at once sensory and emotional, anchored in the humid landscapes of southeastern Australia, where the eucalyptus capitellata, known as Stringy Bark for its fibrous bark, grows. Sheltered by the towering eucalyptus trees under the rain, the artist evokes memories of fishing with her grandfather. The air is thick with moisture, infused with the powerful scent of eucalyptus and wet earth.

It is this atmosphere that Niah brings to life on the canvas—not through literal representation, but through sensory evocation. Using a pipette or an echidna quill, she traces fluid, sinuous lines that echo both the flow of rain over the bark and the winding paths of memory. The iridescent reflections of the paint enhance the sense of movement and the filtered light through the canopy, animating the work with an almost living vibration.