Starting on June 27th: Cairns Art Gallery presents “Babim, Muudjum, Djanguul”, the work of Philomena Yeatman, a proud Gunggandji woman from Yarrabah, celebrated as a master weaver and cultural custodian. Born in Cairns in 1960, with Gunggandji heritage from her mother’s side and Kuku Yalanji from her father’s, she was raised in the Yarrabah Community, where her deep connection to culture began. The works of Babim, Muudjum, Djanguul (Grandmother, Mother, Daughter) are suggestive of maternal ties and interconnected womb forms, linked by threads representing the umbilical cord and the sacred transmission of cultural knowledge, tradition, and love. Yeatman’s works draw inspiration from the traditional forms used by her ancestors to carry food from the sea and rainforest, blending cultural heritage with contemporary art contexts in a celebration of the enduring ties that bind individuals and community.
Philomena YEATMAN, Mother’s womb, 2025,pandanus, lawyer cane, natural dyes, 170 x 170 x 52cm © Cairns Art Gallery Collection. Purchased Cairns Art Gallery, 2025. Photograph: Michael Marzik
SOURCE: Cairns Art Gallery