Tania Major
Tania Major is an artist, activist and advocate. In her first solo exhibition, Echoes of Country: Stories from Kowanyama, she demonstrates that these roles are deeply intertwined. Where there is art, there is activism; where there is storytelling, there is visibility; where there is vibrant celebration, there is deep connection.
Image credit: Tania Major, Kowanyama Sunsets: Black Cockatoos Over The Plains, 2024, synthetic polymer paint on canvas, 120 x 140 cm. Courtesy © the artist and Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne
On the west coast of Cape York, in Far North Queensland, lies the town and coastal locality of Kowanyama. Geographically, it is positioned on the banks of Magnificent Creek, a tributary of the South Mitchell River, and sits about 600 km from Cairns. But, for Tania Major – an artist, activist and former Young Australian of the Year (2007) – Kowanyama “is much more than just a place.”
It is where she was born and grew up as a member of the Kokoberra, Yir Yoront (or Kokomenjen) and Kunjen clans. “It is the heartbeat of my existence, my spiritual anchor and the essence of my identity,” she says. “It is where the stories of my ancestors echo in the winds, where the waters carry the wisdom of generations, and where every tree, bird and stretch of earth speaks to the deep connection between land and people.”
It is also the subject of Major’s first solo exhibition, Echoes of Country: Stories from Kowanyama, opening at Alcaston Gallery on November 13, 2024. “By grounding the exhibition in Kowanyama, I hope to honour the rich heritage of my community while also highlighting the contemporary realities and challenges we face,” explains Major.
Major’s drive to create an appreciation for Cape York Country is something she has been passionate about since she was a teenager. In a TEDxMelbourne talk in 2011, Major spoke of a community rally she instigated at the age of 13 where, along with her classmates, she demanded change from the region’s council, ... Subscribe to read all articles in full
