Boneta-Marie Mabo is a Manbarra, Nywaigi and Meriam artist, investigating the historical and ongoing incarceration of Aboriginal children in Queensland through her work.
Colonial Threads: Next Chapter builds on an established body of work to examine how colonial systems of control were produced, circulated and continue to operate across local and global contexts.
Boneta-Marie said,
“My previous installation, Colonial Threads (2026), examined the 1865 Industrial and Reformatory Schools Act through repetition, accumulation and spatial control. Using a rusted iron cot, 238 hand-sewn rag dolls and embroidered forms, the work exposed how systems of “care” operated as mechanisms of punishment, labour and cultural erasure.
This next stage extends that investigation beyond a Queensland-specific history to consider the global systems that produced and sustained these conditions.
The incarceration of Aboriginal children was not isolated. It formed part of a broader colonial model replicated across the British Empire and other colonial contexts. Systems of child removal, institutionalisation and forced labour were designed to regulate, extract and control across geographies.
This project positions these systems as interconnected and ongoing.”
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Artist Residencies provide artists with 6 or 12 months of studio space, mentorship, and practical support to deepen their creative practice. Residents receive studio access, access to fabrication resources and professional development opportunities, alongside connection to a broader community of artists and collaborators.
