Dylan Sarra

Gulmari Shields (Burnt Series) 2025 - image courtesy of Mitchell Fine Art

In 2025 Dylan Sarra’s installation artwork 'Gulmari Shields (Burnt Series)' was acquired by the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. The 13 hand-carved natural shield series speaks to the erasure of violent acts during the expansion of colonial settlement across the state of Queensland in the late 1800’s, when truth was often burnt and buried to protect colonial interests.

The shields are painted with designs of natural ochre sourced from Country, and specifically the location where this story takes place. The shields are marked with a gradual burn.

Dylan is a Taribelang/Gooreng Gooreng artist from the Bundaberg region and currently lives in Brisbane (Meanjin). His artistic journey is deeply entwined with the transformative power of Indigenous art and how it contributes to written language.

For Dylan has always known that he would be a maker. “Looking back, making and creating have always been there,” he said. “It has always been how I make sense of the world around me.”

Today Dylan sees his craft as a practice of listening and paying attention. “[I’m] paying attention to materials, to people, shared history and to place. In many ways, it feels less like a career choice and more like something I have been slowly growing into my whole life”.

Dylan sees the future of craft as exciting as the boundaries are becoming “much broader than they used to be”.

“Our world has changed dramatically in the last decade. The next generation of makers are not just interested in mastering a skill, they ask the hard questions. They are asking why they make, where materials come from, whose stories are being told, and what role their work plays in the world. If this is maintained with courage and authenticity, it represents a really positive shift.”

Dylan is represented by Mitchell Fine Art.