‘mudunama kundana wandaraba jarribirri: Judy Watson’
Mar 2024 -
Aug 2024

For more than four decades, Judy Watson has created powerful, ethereal works of art channelling the stories of her family’s Waanyi Country in north-west Queensland. ‘mudunama kundana wandaraba jarribirri: Judy Watson’ is a comprehensive survey of the artist’s incisive meditations on colonial, social and ecological concerns. It is her most extensive solo exhibition to date.
The exhibition title, translated as ‘tomorrow the tree grows stronger’, is taken from a poem in Waanyi language by the artist’s son Otis Carmichael. Just as a young tree grows in strength, the act of reclaiming and voicing Indigenous language encourages a regeneration of culture.
The exhibition includes 130 works from an artistic practice centred on truth-telling around the environment, historical government policy affecting Indigenous Australians, and institutions that collect First Nations cultural material and remains.
In this resource, find out more about works from the QAGOMA Collection featured in the exhibition, or explore the full exhibition catalogue.
‘mudunama kundana wandaraba jarribirri: Judy Watson’ is on display at QAG from 23 March to 11 August 2024.
Feature image: A view of works by Judy Watson, installed on the Watermall for ‘mudunama kundana wandaraba jarribirri’, with a glimpse of moreton bay rivers, australian temperature chart, freshwater mussels, net, spectrogram at back left, QAG, 14 March 2024 / © Judy Watson / Photograph: C Callistemon
Collection artworks featured in ‘mudunama kundana wandaraba jarribirri: Judy Watson’

burnt shield 2002
- WATSON, Judy - Creator

axe grinding grooves 2005
- WATSON, Judy - Creator

glasshouse mountains 2005
- WATSON, Judy - Creator

grace 2006
- WATSON, Judy - Creator

grandmother's song 2007
- WATSON, Judy - Creator

memory bones 2007
- WATSON, Judy - Creator

under the act 2007
- WATSON, Judy - Creator

sacred ground beating heart 1989
- WATSON, Judy - Creator

water memory 2012
- WATSON, Judy - Creator

found with bones 2014
- WATSON, Judy - Creator

the holes in the land #1 2015
- WATSON, Judy - Creator

the holes in the land #2 2015
- WATSON, Judy - Creator

the holes in the land #3 2015
- WATSON, Judy - Creator

the holes in the land #4 2015
- WATSON, Judy - Creator

the holes in the land #5 2015
- WATSON, Judy - Creator

the holes in the land #6 2015
- WATSON, Judy - Creator

the keepers 2016
- WATSON, Judy - Creator

names of places 2016
- WATSON, Judy - Creator

tow row 2016
- WATSON, Judy - Creator

the witness tree 2018
- WATSON, Judy - Creator

bloom 2009
- WATSON, Judy - Creator

heron island #1 2009
- WATSON, Judy - Creator

heron island #6 2009
- WATSON, Judy - Creator

heron island #7 2009
- WATSON, Judy - Creator

heron island #8 2009
- WATSON, Judy - Creator

heron island #9 2009
- WATSON, Judy - Creator

heron island #12 2009
- WATSON, Judy - Creator

heron island #20 2009
- WATSON, Judy - Creator

heron island #2 2009/10
- WATSON, Judy - Creator

heron island #3 2009/10
- WATSON, Judy - Creator

heron island #4 2009/10
- WATSON, Judy - Creator

heron island #5 2009/10
- WATSON, Judy - Creator

heron island #10 2009/10
- WATSON, Judy - Creator

heron island #11 2009/10
- WATSON, Judy - Creator

heron island #13 2009/10
- WATSON, Judy - Creator

heron island #15 2009/10
- WATSON, Judy - Creator

heron island #16 2009/10
- WATSON, Judy - Creator

blood 2012
- WATSON, Judy - Creator

boodjamulla wanami 2019
- WATSON, Judy - Creator

invasion 2020
- WATSON, Judy - Creator

the skin of painting 2020
- WATSON, Judy - Creator

skullduggery 2021
- WATSON, Judy - Creator

bones + crosses 1993
- WATSON, Judy - Artist
- BARBAGALLO, Maria Rita - Artist/Director