Artist Showcase | Heather Wunjarra Koowootha

Clan groups: Wik Mungkan, Djabuguy/Yidinji

Heather Koowootha was born in Yarrabah, Queensland, in 1966. She now lives and works in Cairns, Queensland.

Koowootha’s works are inspired by teachings passed onto her from her mother’s culture, from the Yidinji people of Yarrabah, Queensland, and from her father’s culture, from the Wik Mungkan people of Aurukun, Queensland.

Koowootha’s father was a young boy when he was taken away from his mother in Aurukun and relocated to the Normanton Mission. Her mother was a young girl when she was taken from her mother and placed in a dormitory in Yarrabah, south of Cairns. Their stories and experiences inform much of the artist’s work.

Koowootha is proficient in a range of mediums, including painting, printmaking, jewellery, weaving and drawing. Her works tell complex narratives about traditional cultural practices, as well as stories told to her about experiences of separation, trauma and dispossession.

Koowootha has participated in numerous group exhibitions at the Gallery, including Blak Portraiture in 2019, and Ritual in 2021. For the Ritual exhibition Koowootha was commissioned by the Gallery to produce a series of botanical illustrations in watercolour on paper that related to the medicinal and ritual uses of plants by the Yidinji and Wik Mungkan peoples. The 16 watercolours in the series were purchased for the Collection.

In 2023 Koowootha received funding from the Double R Arts Foundation for a studio space in which to produce a new series of watercolours on paper documenting the medicinal properties of sea life found around the traditional Country of her parents.

Koowootha is represented in the Cairns Art Gallery online First Nations Research Archive developed as part of the Gallery’s online Legacy Archive produced to celebrate the Gallery’s 30^th anniversary.

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First Nations Research Archive

Solo Exhibitions | Highlighted Works

Heather Wunjarra Koowootha: Botanicals
9 Sep - 22 Oct 2023

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Heather Wundjara Koowootha, CoastaL SHEOTH Casuarina equisetifalia, 2019-2020, watercolour and pen on paper, Purchased Cairns Art Gallery and Cairns Art Gallery Foundation, 2021. Commissioned by Cairns Art Gallery Heather Wundjara Koowootha, Nature’s Goose Berrys, Fruit trees PicKings, 2019-2020, watercolour and pen on paper, Purchased Cairns Art Gallery and Cairns Art Gallery Foundation, 2021. Commissioned by Cairns Art Gallery Heather Wundjara Koowootha, Blue ovual shape’d fruite Medications, 2019-2020, watercolour and pen on paper, Purchased Cairns Art Gallery and Cairns Art Gallery Foundation, 2021. Commissioned by Cairns Art Gallery Heather Wundjara Koowootha, WilD Bush Apple’s, The Purpose is Prepering For Marriage, And also Known For the Leaves For Law, 2019-2020, watercolour and pen on paper, Purchased Cairns Art Gallery and Cairns Art Gallery Foundation, 2021. Commissioned by Cairns Art Gallery

Group Exhibitions | Highlighted Works

RITUAL: the past in the present
15 May – 21 Aug 2021

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Heather Wundjara Koowootha, Nature’s Goose Berrys, Fruit trees PicKings, 2019-2020, watercolour and pen on paper, Purchased Cairns Art Gallery and Cairns Art Gallery Foundation, 2021. Commissioned by Cairns Art Gallery Heather Wundjara Koowootha, Eatable CaBBage like white young leaves, And nut Fruit Bush Dampers, 2019-2020, watercolour and pen on paper, Purchased Cairns Art Gallery and Cairns Art Gallery Foundation, 2021. Commissioned by Cairns Art Gallery Heather Wundjara Koowootha, Blue ovual shape'd fruite Medications, 2019-2020, watercolour and pen on paper, Purchased Cairns Art Gallery and Cairns Art Gallery Foundation, 2021. Commissioned by Cairns Art Gallery

Shifting the Narrative: Alternative Histories
27 Jun – 10 Oct 2020

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Heather Wundjara Koowootha, Youth under Siege, 2013, etching, ed. 4/35, Purchased by Cairns Regional Gallery, 2014

ARTNOW FNQ 2019
13 Dec 2019 – 2 Feb 2020

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Heather Wundjara Koowootha, The Saltwater Plain, The Land and the Sky Story, 2019, acrylic on canvas, Collection of the artist

Queen's Land: Blak Portraiture
17 May – 11 Aug 2019

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Heather Wundjara Koowootha, Boy in the flour drum, 2013, etching, ed. 4/35, Purchased by Cairns Regional Gallery, 2014

Heather Wundjara Koowootha, Youth under Siege, 2013, etching, ed. 4/35, Purchased by Cairns Regional Gallery, 2014

Heather Wundjara Koowootha, Mother and daughter's reunion, 2013, etching, ed. 4/35, Purchased by Cairns Regional Gallery, 2014

Heather Wundjara Koowootha, Yarrabah Battle, 2016, drypoint, ed. 1/25, Purchased by Cairns Art Gallery, 2018

Heather Wundjara Koowootha, The Story Tellers, 2017, drypoint, ed. 1/25, Purchased by Cairns Art Gallery, 2018

Heather Wundjara Koowootha, Kubarra Firestorm, 2018, etching, aquatint, Purchased Cairns Art Gallery, 2018

ARTNOW FNQ 2017
1 Dec 2017 – 18 Feb 2018

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Heather Wundjara Koowootha, Yarrabah Battle, 2016, drypoint, ed. 1/25, Purchased by Cairns Art Gallery, 2018 Heather Wundjara Koowootha, The Story Tellers, 2017, drypoint, ed. 1/25, Purchased by Cairns Art Gallery, 2018

Out of Queensland:
New Indigenous Textiles
17 Jul – 13 Sep 2015

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Heather Wundjara Koowootha, Traditional women’s building materials, 2015, custom-printed linen, Commissioned by Cairns Regional Gallery, 2015 Heather Wundjara Koowootha, Traditional women’s building materials, 2015, custom-printed linen, Commissioned by Cairns Regional Gallery, 2015

Collection Works

Heather Wundjara Koowootha, Kubarra Firestorm, 2018, etching, aquatint, Purchased Cairns Art Gallery, 2018

Heather Wundjara Koowootha, The Story Tellers, 2017, drypoint, ed. 1/25, Purchased by Cairns Art Gallery, 2018

Heather Wundjara Koowootha, Yarrabah Battle 2016, drypoint, ed. 1/25, Purchased by Cairns Art Gallery, 2018

Heather Wundjara Koowootha, Boy in the flour drum, 2013, etching on paper, ed. 4/35, Purchased by Cairns Regional Gallery, 2014

Heather Wundjara Koowootha, Youth under Siege, 2013, etching on paper, ed. 4/35, Purchased by Cairns Regional Gallery, 2014

Heather Wundjara Koowootha, Mother and daughter's reunion, 2013, etching on paper, ed. 4/35, Purchased by Cairns Regional Gallery, 2014

Heather Wundjara Koowootha, Traditional women’s building materials, 2015, custom-printed linen, Commissioned by Cairns Regional Gallery, 2015

Heather Wundjara Koowootha, Aurukun fruit basket, 2014, synthetic polymer paint on plywood, Purchased Cairns Regional Gallery, 2014

Heather Wundjara Koowootha, Black fig tree roots, 2014, synthetic polymer paint on plywood, Purchased by Cairns Regional Gallery, 2014

Heather Wundjara Koowootha, Bullgrew grass, 2014, synthetic polymer paint on plywood, Purchased by Cairns Regional Gallery, 2014

Heather Wundjara Koowootha, Bush string, 2014, acrylic on plywood, Purchased by Cairns Regional Gallery, 2014

Heather Wundjara Koowootha, Pandanus Palm strips, 2014, acrylic on plywood, Purchased by Cairns Regional Gallery, 2014

Heather Wundjara Koowootha, Wild yams outings and bush potatoes, 2014, acrylic on plywood, Purchased by Cairns Regional Gallery, 2014

Heather Wundjara Koowootha, Blue ovual shape'd fruite Medications, 2019-2020, watercolour and pen on paper, Purchased Cairns Art Gallery and Cairns Art Gallery Foundation, 2021. Commissioned by Cairns Art Gallery

Heather Wundjara Koowootha, Cheese Fruit - Marinda Citrifolia Bunumiey, at The South East CostLe Side to the Cape York and the GuLF ReginaL areareproduced, 2019-2020, watercolour and pen on paper, Purchased Cairns Art Gallery and Cairns Art Gallery Foundation, 2021 Commissioned by Cairns Art Gallery

Heather Wundjara Koowootha, Cleancing S,T,D Cuire’ing bush Remie’erdy’s, 2019-2020, watercolour and pen on paper, watercolour and pen on paper, Purchased Cairns Art Gallery and Cairns Art Gallery Foundation, 2021. Commissioned by Cairns Art Gallery

Heather Wundjara Koowootha, Creeping Loyour Caine, Mediecine, 2019-2020, watercolour and pen on paper, Purchased Cairns Art Gallery and Cairns Art Gallery Foundation, 2021. Commissioned by Cairns Art Gallery

Heather Wundjara Koowootha, Eatable CaBBage like white young leaves, And nut Fruit Bush Dampers, 2019-2020, watercolour and pen on paper, Purchased Cairns Art Gallery and Cairns Art Gallery Foundation, 2021. Commissioned by Cairns Art Gallery

Heather Wundjara Koowootha, Tee Tree oiL Medcienes, 2019-2020, watercolour and pen on paper, Purchased Cairns Art Gallery and Cairns Art Gallery Foundation, 2021. Commissioned by Cairns Art Gallery

Heather Wundjara Koowootha, The MaiLe Orchads, 2019-2020, watercolour and pen on paper, Purchased Cairns Art Gallery and Cairns Art Gallery Foundation, 2021. Commissioned by Cairns Art Gallery

Heather Wundjara Koowootha, Tradional Ceramonie’aL HeaL’ing Plant’s Leafs For Clean’sing, 2019-2020, watercolour and pen on paper, Purchased Cairns Art Gallery and Cairns Art Gallery Foundation, 2021. Commissioned by Cairns Art Gallery

Heather Wundjara Koowootha, WATER LiLLY Cabbage BuLB and it’s young stork EdgE’s, 2019-2020, watercolour and pen on paper, Purchased Cairns Art Gallery and Cairns Art Gallery Foundation, 2021. Commissioned by Cairns Art Gallery

Heather Wundjara Koowootha, White WilD TeeTh - gum and Mouth NaturaL Mediecnce, 2019-2020, watercolour and pen on paper, Purchased Cairns Art Gallery and Cairns Art Gallery Foundation, 2021. Commissioned by Cairns Art Gallery

Heather Wundjara Koowootha, WilD Bush Apple’s, The Purpose is Prepering For Marriage, And also Known For the Leaves For Law, 2019-2020, watercolour and pen on paper, Purchased Cairns Art Gallery and Cairns Art Gallery Foundation, 2021. Commissioned by Cairns Art Gallery

Heather Wundjara Koowootha, Soapy Soap Tree or The Red Ash Tree, 2019-2020, watercolour and pen on paper, Purchased Cairns Art Gallery and Cairns Art Gallery Foundation, 2021. Commissioned by Cairns Art Gallery

Heather Wundjara Koowootha, Fig Tree, “File Leaf Plant”, 2019-2020, watercolour and pen on paper, Purchased Cairns Art Gallery and Cairns Art Gallery Foundation, 2021. Commissioned by Cairns Art Gallery

Heather Wundjara Koowootha, The Six O’Clock Plant’s: Healing Whit in 1 to 2 Day’s, Kuth-Tunie, For Skin Cleane’ing and time Tell’ing, 2019-2020, watercolour and pen on paper, Purchased Cairns Art Gallery and Cairns Art Gallery Foundation, 2021. Commissioned by Cairns Art Gallery

Heather Wundjara Koowootha, Mayie fig and wild ginger, 2017, watercolour, Purchased Cairns Art Gallery, 2021. Commissioned by Cairns Art Gallery, 2017

Heather Wundjara Koowootha, Bush Apples, 2017, watercolour, Purchased Cairns Art Gallery, 2021. Commissioned by Cairns Art Gallery, 2017

Heather Wundjara Koowootha, Brilliant displays of mangrove, 2017, watercolour, Purchased Cairns Art Gallery, 2021. Commissioned by Cairns Art Gallery, 2017

Heather Wundjara Koowootha, The natural herbs, 2017, watercolour, Purchased Cairns Art Gallery, 2021. Commissioned by Cairns Art Gallery, 2017

Exhibition Catalogues

Ritual: the past in the present

Exhibition catalogue

Queen's Land: Blak Portraiture

Exhibition catalogue