Bianca-Christie Wano

Message Sticks on Country

50.5 x 60 cm

Acrylic on canvas

Bianca-Christie Wano is a proud Bidjara/ Meriam Indigenous emerging artist in Queensland. Bianca expresses a strong connection to her Indigenous heritage through her art.

Traditional storylines from her people inspire her art. ‘Storylines represent who we are and where we come from.’

Bianca styles her artwork with bold lines, dots and earthy colours. The boldness explores symbolic cultural Aboriginal (Bidjara) and Torres Strait Islander (Meriam) bloodlines.

She is passionate about creating artwork to express one of the oldest living cultures in the world. Bianca’s preferred choice of materials are acrylic colours on canvas.

Message sticks are a cultural tool for Indigenous people as a form of communication. They consist of a piece of wood carved with symbolic patterns. Indigenous people carried the message sticks over long distances to invite others to traditional dances (corroborees) ceremonies (marriages), sorry business (burials) and war and games.