Artist:    Shane Yondee Hansen

Region:  Perth, WA

Title:      Storm Clouds

Size:       121 x 86 cm

About Shane

Yondee (Shane Hansen) is a Noongar man from Western Australia, based in Perth. Born in 1964 in Dumbleyung, a town 270 km south of Perth, the name Dumbleyung comes from the Aboriginal term 'Dambeling,' meaning large lake, referring to the nearby lake which is the largest in southwest WA. As a child, Yondee recalls visiting this lake and hearing stories of the Wagal (rainbow snake).

His father shared with him hunting stories and showed him sand drawings. Around age ten, he would visit his aunties on the Swan River, collecting paperbark to assist with their artwork. It was during these visits that he learned about art from his older relatives, known for painting on paperbark.

Yondee is an accomplished artist developing a unique style that uses sand and ochres to tell the stories and legends of his people. He also creates detailed figurative works depicting mission life, hunting, and animals. His works are abstract visually, but rich in narrative content. He aims to honour his grandfather's stories, which he learned as ground paintings, believing that translating them into sand paintings respects their origin and introduces them to new audiences.

Discussing his current art practice, Yondee Shane Hansen states: “I make sand paintings, collecting sand from the creeks. You have to wash it to remove the salt, but creek sand is different- smoother and good for use. When I use black and white in my sand paintings, it conveys a simple, strong message and feeling.”

About the artwork

In Noongar culture, storm clouds are closely associated with the Waugal (or Waagal), a powerful Rainbow Serpent spirit who shaped the land and controls rain, thunder, and lightning. The Waugal's presence in the storm clouds brings life-giving rains, but if the spirit is angered, it can bring drought or floods. The Waugal's journey and actions, including the creation of waterways and weather, are a central part of Noongar belief and are often depicted in stories and art, such as Shane Yondee Hansen's artwork titled "Storm Clouds".