As Above, So Below

Gunu Baakandji artist Maddison Gibbs' practice draws on a visual language that honours First Nations histories while affirming the strength and continuity of Indigenous futures. As Above, So Below centres on the firewheel tree (Stenocarpus sinuatus), a medicinal plant with a long history of use in Aboriginal healing practices. In Gibbs' interpretation, the flower evokes a campfire or gathering place—a site for storytelling, ceremony and connection. Composed of two corresponding images, one rendered as the inversion of the other, the banner invites a shifting visual encounter. Forms emerge and recede between positive and negative space, revealing hidden layers of botanical and cosmological imagery. This interplay of visibility and concealment creates a sense of depth and expansiveness, evoking celestial space and the interconnectedness of natural and cultural systems. Positioned in the public realm, the work becomes both a celebration of Country and a proposition for cultural renewal, foregrounding practices of healing and resilience through the ongoing transmission of ancestral knowledge.