Matilda Davis: The White Man’s Web

Born and raised on Badjala/Batjala Djaa (Country) in Maryborough, Matilda Davis is a young creative producing paintings, photography, poetry and song.

Davis pursues these creative interests to honour her maternal grandfather, her Aboriginal ancestors before him, her connection to Country and the first Badjala/Batjala Law/Lore - “What is good for Country comes first.” Davis’ great-great-grandmother was born on the banks of Moonabula (the Mary River), on beautiful Badjala/Batjala djaa. Moonabula flows out on to Korrawinga, (the Great Sandy Strait), connecting the sweetwater of Moonabula with the saltwater of Korrawinga.

Davis’ first solo exhibition The White Man’s Web responds to the suffering of Country, specifically Sea Country, confronting the colonial and capitalist legacy of extractive and exploitative use of land and water. Utilising waste found discarded on Badjala/Batjala beaches, bushland and waters, The White Man’s Web asks for us to consider not just the immediate impacts of environmental exploitation on Country, but the impacts on Indigenous communities; stories, totemic connections, and ability to practice culture.

Header image: Matilda Davis, The White Man’s Web, 2023, digital photograph