At our End of Year Thank You Drinks in October 2024, we were honoured to unveil Reconciliation on Gadigal, a new Aboriginal artwork by Daisy Yui-Tung Grady – a proud Gunaikurnai woman, second-year Sancta resident, and Veterinary Medicine student at the University of Sydney.
Through her work, Daisy has created a deeply personal tribute to Gadigal land, blending traditional symbols with contemporary expressions to explore culture, unity, and reconciliation. As Daisy shares in her artist statement, “This painting honours the Gadigal country while reflecting my cultural roots and experiences as a twenty-first-century female Aboriginal artist. It is a visual conversation between my identity and the land.”
The artwork layers images of Country and connection, including the Gadi tree, sand goanna, and Emu constellation, with delicate lines interlacing these elements to “evoke the intricate connections between spirituality, identity, and cultures from near and afar.” At the unveiling, Daisy shared more about the layers and meaning within her work, and guests received a card-sized copy of ‘Reconciliation on Gadigal’ to take with them as a reminder of the gathering and messages contained within Daisy’s painting.
We are proud to display Daisy’s work in the College foyer as Sancta’s first commissioned Aboriginal artwork, inviting all who see it to reflect on the bonds that unite us on this land.