Zartisha Davis is a proud Kabi Kabi woman of the Mooloolah clan—Mooloolah Plains and Meridan Plains people—known as the Red Belly Black Snake clan. “Mooloolaba means the place of the red belly black snake,” she explains. “My roots run deep through Mooloolaba and all around the coastal areas.” Also, through her mother, she is connected to the Cobble Cobble people of the Barunggam Nation, and on her father’s side, she is Butchulla.
Growing up, Zartisha was surrounded by culture and creativity. “I was really lucky to have a strong cultural foundation,” she says. “I was raised by my great-grandmother for the first five years of my life, and grew up with Uncle Lyndon, Uncle Shannon Chilly, Uncle Brett Miller and my mum as well—all artists. So I’ve grown up watching them paint and dancing with the Gubbi Gubbi dance troupe. That really set my foundation—being around my old people.”
While she had been painting for years, it wasn’t until she returned home to Country two years ago that her artistic practice deepened. “I was painting when I lived down on the Gold Coast but wasn’t really doing much with it,” she says. “When I came home, I felt really strongly that it was time to start painting properly—to be a serious artist.
In 2024, Zartisha was invited to be part of the Caloundra Regional Gallery exhibition From the Sea, the Land and the Mountains. She has since been working on a large and meaningful body of work—a celebration of sea country, culture, and her deep connection to place through her grandmother.
Much of the work is saltwater-themed, with a particular focus on shell middens. “Shell middens are the remnants of shellfish, fish bones, and seafood left by our ancestors,” she explains. “But to me, it’s more than just a pile of fish bones and shells. They tell the story of communal gathering, of hunting and gathering, our connection with land and sea and animals.”
The middens also reflect seasonal knowledge and kinship with local fauna. “They speak to our seasonal indicators—our relationship with Gunga, the sea eagle, who fished for mullet and tailor. They tell the story of us coming together to eat, to share knowledge, stories, and language. They represent stewardship, caring for Country and for each other. That’s what the shell middens mean to me.”
These stories were passed down to Zartisha by her Uncle Lyndon, and originally by her great-grandmother. “It’s about keeping the story alive,” she says.
The artworks also acknowledge how many middens were destroyed during colonisation. “A lot of shell middens were crushed up to make the first roads, because they were rich in lime. Those roads often followed the original pathways our people already used,” she says.
In her current work, Zartisha maps the coastal shell midden sites across Kabi Kabi Country—from the Mooloolah River, where her great-great-grandmother Susan Undy was born in the 1800s, to the Maroochy River, Noosa (Wantama), Moreton, and beyond. “I’m depicting all the shell middens all along the coast in this body of work.”
Alongside large acrylic canvas paintings, the exhibition also includes garments printed with three key artworks representing her growth as an artist. The collection expands into multimedia and installation: hanging fabric, video projection, and sculptural elements.
A special inclusion is a short film, made in collaboration with James Muller and supported by the Regional Arts Development Fund (RADF). It features Zartisha, alongside her aunties, sisters, and cousins, recreating a midden site, dancing and celebrating, by the ocean. “My Aunty Sharyn Malone is singing in language in the film, which is really special,” she shares.
There’s also a series of sculptural shell midden shapes that cast shadows—projecting shell forms across the gallery wall in soft, shifting light.
Through every element, Zartisha Davis shares stories of family, ancestry, connection and care. Her work, while rich in history, is not just about looking back, it is a living continuation of culture and Country.
