Tiarna Herczeg is a proud Kuku Yalanji and Hungarian artist living on Gadigal lands. Their mob’s land runs along the east coast of far north Queensland and includes the land and waters between Port Douglas and just south of Cooktown.

Herczeg’s work is often understood with a comprehension of Indigenous and non-western maps that follow paths, songlines and significant places. Tiarna’s practice is intuitive and instinctive as they paint often without a direct idea, rather using their practice as a ritual for connecting to Country. Herczeg’s approach to painting also comes from a sense of urgency regarding their spiritual and cultural identity.

Watch the Wunba (Watch the Bees) is part of her series Mayi. 

Tiarna says of this series: “A lot of my work is influenced by the weather. As the cold approaches, I recall moments, memories, and objects that are nostalgic to me, grounding me and bringing me back home.

“A lot of my life has been centred around fruit, Mayi translates to fruit in Kuku Yalanji. As a child, I spent some time growing up in Rockhampton, Queensland. We had a greenhouse, and my mom taught me how to grow different fruits. Out the front, we had big mango and coconut trees that we could eat from… if the bats didn’t get to them first.

“It is a habit for the women in my family to bring you a plate of fruit when you are sick – slices of cut-up kiwi fruit, green grapes, whole oranges, and washed strawberries. I remember my mum sitting on the couch with a knife in her hand, slicing apples.

Each of these works symbolizes seeds and the growth of fruit in their patterns and titles, finding a place in my memory.”

Signed on back.