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Dylan Sarra

Gulmari Shields (Burnt Series)

Gulmari Shields (Burnt Series)

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Year: 2025

Set Size: 41 x 325 x 4cm 
Individual Shield Size: 41 x 21 x 4cm
Australian hard wood, ochre, fire and carving

Set of 13 pieces

The Gulmari shields are marked with a gradual burn that spreads and overtakes their surfaces, as if someone tried to destroy them and hide what they once stood for. 

They speak to the erasure of violent acts during the expansion of the Queensland Native Police, when truth was often burnt and buried to protect colonial interests. 

Each Gulmari shield is hand-carved from natural timber then painted with designs of natural ochre sourced from Country, and specifically the location where this story takes place. 

The surfaces are marked and struck with weaponry and lead balls matching the size of the original colonial bullets. Each shield is then burnt with fire and finished with a matte sealer. 

The shields are battle worn and burnt but not gone. They reflect a story of resistance that some tried to erase but could not. 

Despite the damage, they still hold ground. What survives is not just the object, but the story that it carries. 
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