Artist

Claudia Moodoonuthi spent the first seven years of her life on Bentinck and Mornington Islands in the Gulf of Carpentaria being raised by her late great-grandmother May Moodoonuthi. During these formative years Claudia Moodoonuthi spent her time fishing, hunting, and gathering in the bush with her family, developing a deep connection to the Country and traditional ways of the Lardil and Kayardild people.

Claudia Moodoonuthi’s bold and colourful canvas paintings reflect her deep connection and are greatly influenced by her language, tribe, history, and family, including her late great-grandmother May Moodoonuthi and the late Mirdidingkingathi Juwarnda Sally Gabori (Mrs Gabori). May Moodoonuthi and Mrs Gabori were among the seven Kaiadilt ‘sisters’ from Bentinck Island who burst onto the art scene at Mornington Island Art with their enchanting work incorporating the blazing colours of the tropics in 2005.

Alcaston Gallery was honoured to present Claudia Moodoonuthi’s first exhibition at Alcaston Gallery in 2013. Titled Claudia Moodoonuthi – New Paintings, the exhibition featured paintings with bold imagery and vibrant colours that spoke of a deep connection between Country and family.

In 2016 – 2017, Claudia Moodoonuthi’s work was featured in 'Who’s Afraid of Colour' at The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia, which brought together a broad range of Indigenous women artists whose practices are unbounded by convention. 2017 was an extraordinary milestone in Claudia Moodoonuthi’s flourishing career. She completed two major commissions for public art collections, including a large-scale painting on paper for an Artbank + QPAC commission in Brisbane, and a public art exhibition with her painting 'My Body, My Country' projected onto the William Jolly Bridge as part of Maiwar, a city-wide Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander contemporary art exhibition in Brisbane. Also in 2017 a major installation by Claudia Moodoonuthi was created for the MECCA Cosmetica + National Gallery of Victoria holiday collaboration,n and launched at the Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia. The work was acquired by the NGV and exhibited in a solo exhibition at NGV Australia in 2017/2018.

In 2018, Claudia Moodoonuthi was invited by BEGA Australia to create an artwork for the special limited-edition Vegemite jar to celebrate the 95th birthday of Vegemite. 

In 2019, Claudia Moodoonuthi was a finalist in the Guirguis New Art Prize 2019 at the Art Gallery of Ballarat in Victoria. Also in 2019 Claudia’s skateboards were exhibited at Parliament House in Canberra as part of their Indigenous Design 2019 exhibition.

In 2020, Claudia Moodoonuthi was commissioned by Parliament House in Canberra to produce a new artwork which was projected on the façade of Parliament House, as part of the Enlighten Festival 2020.

Claudia Moodoonuthi holds a Bachelor of Contemporary Australian Indigenous Art at Griffith University, Queensland. She currently lives and works in Brisbane.

© The Artist and Alcaston Gallery, 2023

For an extended CV, please contact Alcaston Gallery at art@alcastongallery.com.au