The Birthing Tree artwork by Brooke Sutton
The artist
Brooke Sutton is a contemporary Aboriginal artist and a proud Kalkadoon woman from the emu foot province, around the Mount Isa area in North West Queensland. Brooke is the younger sister of renowned artist Chern’ee Sutton.
In 2019, Brooke was selected from among 30 submissions by Indigenous Australian artists to produce a unique, emblematic piece of art, commissioned by us for the Closing the Registration Gap project.
Brooke was 15 years old when she created this beautiful artwork, which now takes pride of place in the foyer at the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages.
Artist’s description
This is my interpretation of 'Artii Nganthi' which means in the Kalkadoon language 'Birthing Tree'.
In this painting, the birthing tree is in centre of the artwork as it is the focus of the piece. The leaves of the tree represent the generations that have come before us and the roots of the tree is a strong foundation which helps to build and grow a better future for our kids because we count, and our kids count.
The dots in the background represent the generations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who have been registered at birth. With a birth certificate it is so much easier to complete tasks like enrolling in school, applying for a tax file number (to get a job), applying for a licence or passport—all needing a birth certificate, which makes it everybody’s business.
The handprints represent family and the strong connection and bond between the parents and their children, with the footprints representing their journey through life from birth to adulthood when they are ready to start a family of their own.
The large aqua circles around the tree and the white dotted lines connecting the painting together are the spirit trails representing everyone working together, moving forward and our connection to one another.
The pink dotted circles connected by the pink lines represent the children’s growth, which is where their story starts under the sun and moon.
The brown and pink mountains and the blue and green waves around the outside of the piece represent Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s connection to the land, sea and to country.
More
Explore more of Brooke’s work or follow her on Facebook.
- Acknowledgments
The department acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the land, and acknowledges and pays respect to their Elders past, present and emerging.
- Last updated:
- 20 August 2021