Flat Reef - Kuruwarriyingathi Bijarrb Paula Paul

In Flat Reef, Kuruwarriyingathi Bijarrb Paula Paul evokes the powerful presence of her Bentinck Island homeland. The painting takes the form of a flat diamond shape, symbolising the land itself, encircled by a sweeping outline of stone ngurruwarr—traditional fish traps constructed to capture fish and turtles as the tides recede. These ancient stone walls, depicted at the lower right, anchor the work in the enduring practices of Kaiadilt life.

Woven into the composition are bburrkund (cicatrice) motifs—vivid linear passages of colour that recall ceremonial scarification. For young men, these body scars mark the passage into adulthood, while for women, they carry the weight of mourning rituals. Through these forms, Paula Paul threads bodily memory and cultural continuity into the depiction of her ancestral land.

The painting also alludes to women’s practices, referencing the gathering of cockleshells. Kaiadilt women arrange the shells into rhythmic patterns in the ashes of cooking fires, a gesture both practical and aesthetic. By embedding these elements—fish traps, scarification, and shell patterns—Paula presents a layered vision of Country, where land, ceremony, and daily life intersect in vibrant abstraction.