Niah Juella Mcleod is a descendant of the Monero, Wandandian and Yuin peoples of south-east Australia. She is the daughter of Kathrin Sharp, a painter, and Bobby Mcleod, an Aboriginal activist, poet, healer, musician and Yuin elder. 

Niah's works are inspired by different moments in her life, and only a few have meaning related to traditional Dreamtime stories.

All the canvases feature either fine lines or small dots forming a hypnotic pattern, created using a pipette, a brush or the spine of an echidna, a small animal typical of Australian wildlife.

This canvas stands out for its hypnotic circular pattern, reminiscent of a vortex. Once in front of the canvas, we are drawn to the different ochre tones of the shiny lines that stand out against the almost brown background. They represent the totem of the Yuin community from which Niah comes.

‘Gugaa’ means ‘stringy bark’, a species of eucalyptus so called because of its gaunt appearance. This is a tribute to this endemic Australian tree and the visual effect it produces in the forest.