Clan groups: Wik Mungkan, Djabuguy/Yidinji
Heather Koowootha was born in Yarrabah, Queensland, in 1966. She now lives and works in Cairns, Queensland.
Heather’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.
As a young boy, Heather's father was taken from his mother in Aurukun to the Normanton Mission, and as a young girl, her mother was taken from her mother and placed in a dormitory in Yarrabah, south of Cairns. These stories and experiences inform much of Heather’s work.
Heather 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.
Heather has participated in solo and group exhibitions and her work is held in public and private collections, including the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra; National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne; and Cairns Art Gallery, Queensland.
RITUAL: the past in the present
15 May – 22 Aug 2021
View exhibition
ARTNOW FNQ 2019
13 Dec 2019 – 2 Feb 2020
View exhibition
Queen's Land: Blak Portraiture
17 May – 11 Aug 2019
View exhibition
ARTNOW FNQ 2017
1 Dec 2017 – 18 Feb 2018
View exhibition
Out of Queensland:
New Indigenous Textiles
6 Dec 2019 – 19 Feb 2020
View exhibition
The Cairns Art Gallery acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land on which we work and live. We pay our respects to Elders past and present. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be aware that this website may contain images, names or voices of deceased persons in photographs, film or text.