Sally Gabori sings and dances, even in the National Gallery, quite spontaneously, in front of her own artwork.
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This art, as with the singing and dancing, reflects who she is, a Kaiadilt woman to the core. She is one of increasingly few speakers of the Kaiadilt language and sings while she paints, too.
Gabori, whose name in full is given as Mirdidingkingathi Jurwarnda Sally Gabori, is one of 20 artists featured in unDisclosed, the second National Indigenous Art Triennial, which is on show at the National Gallery from today until July 22.
She is the oldest of the featured artists and began to paint aged 83 at the Mornington Arts and Crafts Centre.
Her vivid works took the Aboriginal art world by surprise and her ascent was swift.
Her works focus on her homeland of Bentinck Island in the Gulf of Carpentaria, to which she feels profoundly connected, though the Kaiadilt were moved to nearby Mornington Island in the late 1940s.
Sue Lee, the Mirndiyan Gununa Aboriginal Corporation arts centre coordinator, said of Gabori's art: ''It's for her to be able to show her grandchildren and to leave a legacy of her country, her husband's country and her father's country.
''When she's [painting] she's doing it for her grandchildren.''
Gabori, along with most of the artists featured in the triennial, were at the National Gallery yesterday for a media preview.
The NGA's director, Ron Radford, described the exhibition as ''exceedingly sophisticated''.
''Viewers are invited to sift through the layers of meaning (in the artworks),'' he said.
''Some of them are very subtle.
''This exhibition certainly throws out the cliches and stereotypes about Indigenous art and deliberately does so.''
There are more than 50 pieces in the exhibition that celebrates the diversity of modern indigenous art. All of the creations were made in the past five years.
Besides paintings on canvas and park, works include sculpture, weaving, new media, photo-media, print-making and installation works.
Curator Carly Lane said the exhibition was about celebration, not speaking out, though some pieces refer to conflicts between Aboriginals and white Australians.
''Our history is quite a shameful blight on Australian history,'' she said.
''So, to celebrate you have to acknowledge those points of time and our continuing response to our history as well.''
unDisclosed, the second National Indigenous Art Triennial, is on at the National Gallery from today to July 22. Curator Carly Lane will speak on the development and concepts of the triennial today at the NGA from 12.45pm.
