The inspiration for Pilawuk’s works on silk comes from the stories in her culture and from her country. Aboriginal peoples of Australia are acknowledged as practitioners of sustainable living within the land to which they belong. This knowledge has been passed down to each new generation through story, ceremony, observation and contemplation of the dynamics that make up life. Pilawuk, like many of today’s Aboriginal artists, is transforming certain levels of that art onto media that are more available, such as painting on silk and ceramics.

The pieces in this display reveal aspects of her Dreaming, which is the Black Bream, in water lily country (Miwulnginni or Red Lotus) and the accompanying stories about the right times and ways to gather the fruits of the land and sea.