My name is Samantha and I’m a proud Zenadeth Kes (Torres Strait Islander) woman with connections to both east and central Islands and Scottish heritage. I was born on the mainland on Turrbal/Yugara Country and raised on Kaurna Yerta.
My paintings are a contemporary way of expressing the connections I have with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across Australian countries.
I have visited over 70 communities across Australia. I feel extremely privileged to have listened to thousands of people share their life stories with me.
Listening to their stories both nourishes my soul and deepens my connections to the fabric of this nation.
It can also be a painful process. I’m reminded time and time again of the wide ranging inequities we continue to experience due to the ongoing effects of colonisation, still present in our systems and institutions.
My art is a combination of methods taught to me by healers in different parts of the country. They could see that I needed help to work through the vicarious trauma I was experiencing while undertaking engagements to listen to challenges and solutions for change across health and wellbeing, education, child protection, incarceration, domestic and family violence and employment and economic disadvantage.
The repetitious methods taught to me helps calm my mind and allows me to deeply process what I have heard. These pieces all form part of my healing process, to ensure I’m strong, powerful and able to fight for our rights and elevate their voices in my professional life.
Each artwork represents a real story that I carry with me as a constant reminder of the overwhelming hope we have for a better future.