Tiarna Herczeg is a proud Kuku Yalanji and Hungarian woman living on Gadigal lands. Her mob’s land runs along the east coast of Far north QLD and includes the land and waters between Port Douglas and just South of Cooktown. Kuku Yalanji Country is tropical , Rainforest Country.
Herczeg’s work is often understood with a comprehension of Indigenous, non western maps. Maps that follow paths, songlines and significant places. Her practice is intuitive and instinctive as she paints often without a direct idea and rather uses her practice as a ritual for connecting to Country. Her approach to painting also comes from a sense of urgency regarding her spiritual and cultural identity. As Herczeg allows herself to disconnect from the idea of painting and instead taps into her spirituality, she loses the fear of painting an artwork and without preference paints as an action. This fearlessness shows in loose, large and gestural brush strokes, vibrant colours and organic compositions highlighting the familiarity, richness and naturalness of Country.