Kylie Hill is a proud Aboriginal woman from the Kalkadoon and Waanyi from Far North Queensland, Mount Isa. Kylie originated from Mount Isa but has now called Ipswich home for the past 30 years. One of her biggest desires and inspirations is to connect with people through her art. Helping to close the gap with reconciliation and bringing people together through her art to showcase her culture is a priority for Kylie. Having 8 children with her husband David, she knows how much our next generation look up to her to lead the way to keep her culture alive through her art and teaching it as well.
Guiding Waters – Artwork story
Guiding Waters
Guiding Waters is a collaborative creation by Iscariot Media, Kylie Hill and Tori-Jay Mordey for Putting Queensland Kids First.
Guiding Waters depicts the story of growing and raising strong, healthy kids. It’s a story built on ancestral foundations and enriched by the strength of a community that surrounds children as caretakers, educators, and guides.
Along their path, small steps and journey stones chart their progress. Much like fish navigating the ocean’s currents, we guide them with wisdom, innovation, and nurturing, enabling them to flourish.
The four meeting places represent community that strengthen and give different avenues for raising healthy, happy children. Smaller journey rocks represent the pathways forward for children, families and community. The five large white journey stones represents ancestors watching over the journey.
The plants resemble growth, guided by the child. The vine leaf from the Torres Straits represents community. When you pull that leaf, its vines are rooted deep in the ground under the sand and it is near impossible to rip or break it. It represents working together as a community knowing we are stronger as a unit.
Hands of all children release woven fish that represent not only Torres Strait Island culture, but all families moving together, guided by the child.
Tori-Jay Mordey is an established First Nation, Indigenous Australian artist and illustrator based in Meanjin/Brisbane. Growing up she openly shared both her Torres Strait Islander and English heritage, which is often reflected in her contemporary Indigenous art practice - producing work based around her family and siblings as a way of understanding herself, her appearance and racial identity.
Iscariot Media (IM) is an Aboriginal-owned business that specialises in creating and delivering digital, creative, and training projects that foster connections between people, communities, and services. IM use an array of traditional and modern artistic techniques to create stunning visuals that evoke emotion, thought, and conversation.