Banner Series Maddison Gibbs: As Above, So Below

Co-commissioned by Artspace and Bathurst Regional Art Gallery, As Above, So Below by Maddison Gibbs 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 also evokes a campfire or gathering place – a site for storytelling, ceremony and connection.

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. Bringing together imagery inspired by Indigenous plants, medicinal knowledge and First Nations sky knowledge, her work reflects enduring practices of caring for Country and sharing knowledge across generations.

The work reflects the longstanding Indigenous practice of cultural burning, in which small-scale cool burns are used to regenerate Country while supporting biodiversity and reducing the risk of bushfires.

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. These references recognise the integral role of sky knowledge within First Nations cultures, where astronomy, storytelling and navigation are closely intertwined.

Positioned in the public realm, As Above, So Below 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.

Artist: Maddison Gibbs

Curator: Zoe Theodore