Living and working on country in Cairns (Yirrganydji/Djabugay) and Yarrabah (Gunggandji) in Far North Queensland, Simone Arnol and Bernard Singleton collaborate as artists and together in life.

Simone Arnol (Gunggandji Peoples) is a community leader who conveys powerful narratives of family and Country through many different mediums including photography, painting, fashion and design. Bernard Lee Singleton (Umpila, Djabugay/Yirrgay) is a celebrated curator, educator and performer but his grounding practice is in continuing ancestral skills in crafting traditional tools, weapons and objects.

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SIMONE ARNOL

“Keeping it grass roots while respecting the elders, the keepers of Knowledge.”

This deep underlying passion of Simone Arnol is reflected in all of her works. Descending from the Gunggandji Peoples (Yarrabah) through her father (and her mother of Sicilian heritage), she uses this strong connection to family and country as a foundation for all of her art.

Inspired by the many Elders, children and all the Traditional Owners that has been a part of her life through her working career in Indigenous Law and Native Title, she continues to expand herself as a developing, grassroots artist. Her stories flow strongly through her works on canvas, portraits on paper, photography and her true passion for textiles and clothing design.

Simone continues to experiment and progress through different mediums with each piece keeping within cultural and mainstream sustainability practices. More recent years have seen her work within Fashion Curation, events and design. She has been showcasing at Cairns Indigenous Art Fair’s Fashion Performance for the last 5 years and co-curated this premier event for the last 3 years. Simone was the first Indigenous Designer at The Australian Eco Fashion Week in Perth, 2017. Along with winning the National Indigenous Fashion Awards (NIFA) - Enviromental and Sustainabilty contribution category in 2021. As seen in all of her past collections, Simone combines class, unique & modern designs with powerful narratives to convey true messages of her history and her people.

As seen in all of her past collections, Simone combines class, unique & modern designs with powerful narratives to convey true messages of her history and her people.

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BERNARD SINGLETON

Bernard Lee Singleton is an Umpila, Djabugay/Yirrgay man raised in Cape York Peninsula. He continues to maintain strong cultural connections to his Djabugay and Yirrgay country of the Cairns Region where he is based. His practice is focused on crafting traditional hunting weapons, tools and objects which are heavily based on his father’s 30- year work as an archaeological relic’s ranger.

Bernard has over 15 years’ experience in cultural tourism, presenting internationally, performing, and educating as well as curatorial work in art galleries, exhibitions, and art fairs in Northern Australia. His work draws from his connections to and foundations of traditional crafting, traditional materials, or creation stories within.

“I craft using traditional materials, wood, stone, water and fire to ground myself. It is known that these techniques, that have been used over hundreds of years, become somewhat embedded in our physical self. So through the process of making a spear or shaping the rubbing in of the grind stone, I connect with my ancestors and they help bring my craft to life.

My work is a way for me to acknowledge and remember the times of my great grandmothers and great grandfathers and those before. My designs are inspired by the laws of nature and the forms found in the creation stories around me. Using these basic forms or designs, I work to represent the bond of land, its stories to art and the continuation of culture.”

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