Weaving is an active meditation for me and one of the ways my wawu stays connected to bubu (Country) living so far from home. It takes me back to when my Mukay (Aunty) taught me our traditional weave a year and a half ago while healing on Country. Breathwork and Dadirri have also been pivotal to my healing and connection to culture this past year. Unsurprisingly, in Yalanji language, wawu is the word used for both spirit and breath. These woven lungs represent the healing and strengthening of my spirit through breathwork, dadirri, and weaving which can also be described as connection, still awareness and art.

Artist Bio:

Tarsha Davis is a proud Kuku Yalanji and Palawa woman originally from Far North Queensland, now based in Naarm on Boonwurrung Country. A contemporary Aboriginal artist who has been painting since 2005, however only began her professional practice in 2019. Her artwork, primarily acrylic on canvas can be described as narrative in style and detail oriented. In recent years, she has taken up weaving to create jewellery, baskets and unique wall art. Her artwork reveals two important themes: her connection to Country and her passion for social health. Tarsha describes her creative process to be deeply reflective and a conscious act of reclamation. She enjoys finding creative ways to confront the ongoing impacts of intergenerational trauma in her life and promotes the healing potential of art. Tarsha has been commissioned for a number of artworks and participated in Benalla’s Wall to Wall Street Art Festival 2019. She has exhibited artwork at Aboriginal Exhibitions - Rutherglen, Linden Art Gallery and the Koorie Heritage Trust. Tarsha also designed the artwork featured on the Our Watch RAP, and the branding of the First Nations Justice Team and Write Yes campaign at GetUp!