Rachel Bywaters

Kabi Kabi Country, Queensland

Rachel Bywaters is a multidisciplinary artist and proud Gamilaroi woman of mixed-European heritage, currently living and working on Kabi Kabi Country. Her practice encompasses printmaking, jewellery, sculpture, and installation, and is grounded in a deep commitment to storytelling, cultural expression, and First Nations truth-telling.  

She is currently in the final year of a Bachelor of Contemporary Australian Indigenous Art at Griffith University’s Queensland College of Art and Design. Informed by her ancestral lineage and lived experience, Bywaters’ work explores themes of resistance and resilience. Her recent practice incorporates native Gamilaroi grasses—materials imbued with cultural and symbolic significance—to subvert colonial narratives and elevate First Nations perspectives.  

Bywaters’ work has been exhibited in group shows including Beneath This Skin at the Queensland State Archives, Undergrowth at the Queensland University Art Galleries, Bonyi: Living Culture at Munimba-ja, and No Souvenirs at the upcoming Horizons Festival. Upcoming exhibitions also include The Shape of Time at Artisan, Glass-Box, Griffith University’s printmaking showcase, and Fresh Eyes at Redcliffe Art Gallery. In 2024, she was invited to judge the Next Generation Art Prize at the Matthew Flinders Art Gallery on Bribie Island, where she currently resides.  

Rachel Bywaters' works exhibited in The Shape of Time are not for sale.
For commission enquiry, please contact Rachel via Instagram @rachbywaters