Niah Juella Mcleod is a descendant of the Monero, Wandandian and Yuin peoples of south-east Australia.  

Here, the canvas is pierced by a kind of crack symbolising a fishing line, known as a ‘waraawara’. The deep background of the canvas represents the rain, ‘bana’.

The effect of movement and relief is accentuated by the light lines, which echo the totem of the Yuin community from which Niah comes. This is a species of eucalyptus called ‘stringy bark’ (‘gugaa’) in reference to its gaunt appearance. 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 fauna.

The canvas depicts a fishing session in the rain, sheltered by eucalyptus trees.