New Delhi, Feb 5 (PTI) For Australian First Nations artist and designer Grace Lillian Lee, who is presenting her renowned work ‘Winds of Guardians’ in India this week, the artwork is both an ode to her ancestors as well as a “conversation between art and fashion”.
At an event co-hosted here on Wednesday evening by the Australian High Commission, she introduced herself as a “proud weaver”, and a group of dancers wearing her trademark couture collection, ‘The Guardians’, moved gracefully among the guests, creating a somewhat surreal feel.
Born in Cairns in Australia in 1988, Lee is a Torres Strait Islander, indigenous Australian designer, artist and advocate for cultural preservation. Drawing on her indigenous heritage, her practice explores themes of identity, country, sustainability and indigenous sovereignty through a contemporary lens.
In India, she is presenting her work ‘Winds of Guardians’ at the India Art Fair 2026 being held in Delhi from February 5-8.
“The ‘Winds of Guardians’ are four artistic sculptures which represent my ancestors, and the different wind directions that everyone has come (from). It’s my ancestral story. I come from many ‘different countries’. But the specific techniques within these sculptures are techniques that have been passed down to me by my elders from the Torres Straits Islands,” Lee told PTI Videos.
The work that she will showcase at the fair comprises four structural forms — “North Winds, South Winds, East Winds, and West Winds” — along with a ceremonial dreamweaver mask, according to the Australian high commission.
These works address wind as “both material force and metaphor: an agent of movement, memory, and transmission”.
Lee draws inspiration from her indigenous lineage in her weaves, and she says the creative process is both inspirational and “healing” in nature, referring to the pains the indigenous people have gone through in the past.
A descendant of the Miriam Mer Semsep people of the Eastern Islands of the Torres Strait, she was introduced to the art of traditional weaving from a young age — knowledge that continues to shape her practice today.
Deeply rooted in Lee’s belief of ancestors and wind-spirits from Torres Strait Islands, her works are constructed using cotton webbing, mirror acrylic and other natural material.
“So, the work’s created out of cotton and cane, and a bit of Perspex (acrylic sheet), and a bit of flicker of colour that represents the feathers, within these sculptures. The techniques that were taught to me, were commonly done with coconut palm fronds, taught to me by an elder uncle, who’s a master maker in dance machines within our community and culture,” she said.
Lee describes her body of work as a “conversation between art and fashion”, and hopes it can contribute to a “stronger understanding for our people”.
A culture preservationist, she feels fashion can be a tool to “create conversations” to engage, and that through her oeuvre, the next generation can see the tradition, perhaps “in a different light”.
Lee is the founder of First Nations Fashion + Design (FNFD), a national platform dedicated to empowering Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander creatives through sustainable pathways into the fashion industry.
She has presented her couture collection at the Australian fashion week in 2021, getting a standing ovation, and in 2024, Lee produced a series of her body sculptures in collaboration with noted fashion designer, Jean Paul Gaultier, where she was handpicked to interpret his archive through her distinct lens, creating woven couture pieces that celebrated cultural lineage and innovation.
On her work showcased at the India Art Fair, she said, “For me, these sculptures represent a sense of embodiment of empowerment, of identity and culture. And you see these and they look quite ethereal, but strong in their presence. And so I hope that the viewer sees this inner warrior within themselves to be proud of who they are and where they come from.” Asked what memories she will take back from India and, if also, any inspiration, she said, “Definitely, a cross-cultural collaboration would be incredible.” “I definitely think that the connection in the community aligns with what is happening in Australia. I see a lot of synergies in our storytelling and our cultural preservation and pride.
“So for me, there are a lot of things that I will be taking home with me, and I think a lot of them are based on relationships that are authentic. And, I hope that we can create pathways for other First Nations people to come to India to collaborate potentially in the future and to share our stories and strengthen one another,” Lee said. PTI KND MNK MNK
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