"sacred water" 2010 (audio described)
Wall text
Judy Watson
Born 1959, Mundubbera, Gureng Gureng Country.
Waanyi. Lives and works in Brisbane, Turrbal and Yuggera Country.
Pronouns: she/her
"sacred water" 2010
pigment, pastel, acrylic on canvas
Collection of The University of Queensland. Donated through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program by Danielle Milani in memory of Mona Dubois, 2022. Courtesy of the artist and Milani Gallery, Brisbane.
Collection of The University of Queensland. Donated through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program by Danielle Milani in memory of Mona Dubois, 2022. Courtesy of the artist and Milani Gallery, Brisbane.
Judy Watson’s sacred water is a gesture of respect and care for Waanyi Country. Unbound by framing, the canvas references the waters of Watson’s matrilineal Waanyi heritage, who are known as ‘running water people’. The stained blue and yellow made of wet and dry pigments are symbolic of the symbiotic relationship between water and land.
Despite the arid landscape of Waanyi Country, there are many significant sites of water, including Boodjamulla Lawn Hill Gorge, and the many creeks and rivers that are fed by springs rising from ancient subterranean aquifers.
sacred water is a tribute to the waters that have sustained Judy Watson’s ancestors as nourishment, and have strengthened her sense of belonging and identity. Water has been a source of inspiration physically and metaphorically for the artist. As Watson reflects:
When I am immersed in water, I think more deeply and I am connected to the wellsprings of my ancestral Country. Water is the conduit for everything that I do; it brings life and is the precious jewel beneath the surface. It feeds the Country that replenishes the people.