Kahlea Spiby is a proud Wurundjeri woman from Echuca who participated in the Buldau Yioohgen program in 2022. She’s also an accomplished artist who has been commissioned by organisations including Anglicare Victoria and Tennis Australia to create unique works of art. Kahlea has loved drawing and art since she was little, but it wasn’t until her teenage years thatshe discovered she had an incredible talent. After selling her first painting to the Njernda Aboriginal Corporation in 2020 Kahlea realised her art could become more than just a hobby. She started taking her art more seriously and was inundated with requests for her work. In fact, she became so busy that she had to stop taking commissions!
“I kept painting and experimented with different materials and eventually
found my style and developed it over time. Practice makes progress.”
Kahlea travelled to Darwin with Buldau Yioohgen in 2022 to represent Victoria in the National Indigenous Tennis Carnival. During the carnival she had the opportunity to design and paint a tennis racquet, and her talent was immediately recognised by Tennis Australia. She was asked to design tennis racquets for the Australian Open, which were presented to the women’s singles
finalists Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina at the grand slam tournament.
It took Kahlea almost eight hours to carefully hand-paint her intricate design onto each racquet. Kahlea’s amazing art is a unique combination of traditional Aboriginal designs with some of her own style thrown in, and she says a lot of her pieces are open to interpretation. Her artworks are inspired by land and nature, with symbolism often featured. One of her recent commissions is a vibrant work called Bunjil (pictured), which she created for Anglicare Victoria.
“Art tells a story, and it’s so much more than just a painting,” Kahlea said. “I’ve loved art my whole life. It has led me to so many places and to meet so many amazing people.” Kahlea hopes her art will be a vehicle for change, helping to educate people on the issues facing First Nations peoples today. “I want my art to be able to help people, to tell a story, and raise awareness. People need to be aware of the issues still taking place,” she said.
