Sally Gabori's Monumental Paintings Featured in Exhibition at Fondation Cartier

The Fondation Cartier in Paris is currently presenting an exhibition showcasing around thirty monumental paintings by the late Aboriginal artist Sally Gabori. Born around 1924 on Bentinck Island in northern Australia, Gabori was a member of the Kaiadilt community. She led a traditional life until age 24, when she was displaced in 1948 to Mornington Island following a tidal wave. This exile lasted decades, during which her people faced harsh conditions and were prohibited from speaking their native language, severing cultural ties. Gabori began painting in 2005 at age 80, creating over 2,000 works before her death in 2015. Her art, while seemingly abstract, references topographical features and narratives significant to her family and community, often celebrating places from her homeland and political struggles for Kaiadilt land rights. Initially using small canvases with fine brushes and undiluted colors, she shifted to large-scale works up to six meters long from 2007 onward, maintaining bold gestures and vibrant color combinations. The exhibition includes three collaborative pieces made with her sisters and nieces, as well as works with her daughters. Posthumously, Gabori has received several exhibitions and a retrospective in Australia. The Fondation Cartier is also launching a website dedicated to her life and work, developed in collaboration with her family and the Kaiadilt community. This display highlights her artistic legacy, noted for its formal freedom and rich imagination, influenced by the contrasting light of the Gulf of Carpentaria.