Art and Advocating for Country

Story & Photo: Llewellyn Millhouse

A lifelong resident of Maryborough, proud Badjala/Batjala descendant Matilda Davis is passionate about protecting Country. At 23 years of age Davis is a trailblazing community advocate, producing powerful paintings, photography, poetry and song in addition to her day job. Davis’ passion for Country and Indigenous cultural custodianship is informed by local Elders, community and the first Badjala/Batjala Lore - what is good for Country comes first. As Davis explains, “The way my Aboriginal ancestors communicate to me through their Country, my experiences on Country and my obligation to care for Country inspires my art”.

With her first art exhibition opening at Hervey Bay Regional Gallery on the 11th of May, Davis is excited to be taking her creative pursuits to the next level with a spectacular and ambitious installation project. Titled The White Man’s Web, Davis has re-created a slice of the intertidal mangrove ecosystem that characterises our coastal rivers, estuaries and bays. Rather than constructing an idyllic homage to the Country which Davis loves, The White Man’s Web represents the tragic reality that Country endures. Collected over a period of 6 months from her travels across beautiful Badjala/Batjala Djaa (Country), the man-made waste that Davis has accumulated will be woven amongst natural materials in the Hervey Bay Regional Gallery to create a powerful visual statement.

As Davis explains,

“Growing up, I spent a lot of time fishing and crabbing on Country with my family - in the rivers and estuaries of the mainland, the islands of Korrawinga (the great sandy strait), K’gari and surrounding Sea Country. I first thought about making this work as a teenager after seeing juvenile Milbi (marine turtles) and shovel-nosed rays that had died inside discarded crab pots, bird skeletons with many pieces of plastic where their stomachs once were and fishing line strangling young mangroves.”

These formative experiences of the devastating impacts of consumerism have proven a powerful motivator for Davis. Channelling her frustrations about colonialism and capitalism through creativity, The White Man’s Web asks us to consider how our behaviour impacts Country, Indigenous cultures and communities.

This story appears in the May 2024 edition of Fraser Coast Scene, our monthly guide to What's On across our Cultural Services venues.

The creation of this story and photography was funded by Regional Arts Development Fund (RADF). RADF is a partnership between the Queensland Government and Fraser Coast Regional Council to support local arts and culture in regional Queensland.