Kalkatungu (Kalkadoon) artist Chern'ee Sutton has announced the launch of her newest collaboration - with global manufacturing leader Milliken.
The new collaboration with Milliken has seen Sutton transform her artwork Kuukili (Waterholes) into large-scale carpet designs for workplaces and commercial environments.
Inspired by the life-giving power of rain across Country, the artwork reflects the rhythms of nature and the changing seasons. Waterholes are places of gathering, renewal and connection, and this design celebrates the resilience and vitality they bring to Country.
Through this collaboration, the story has moved beyond the canvas and into the spaces where people work, meet and connect every day.
The carpet designs offer organisations the opportunity to bring colour, culture and storytelling into their environments, creating spaces that are both visually striking and deeply meaningful.
The collaboration also reflects a commitment to Reconciliation Through Design, embedding First Nations storytelling into contemporary commercial spaces in a respectful way.
Sutton expressed her excitement surrounding the new collection on her Instagram, where she shared with followers how thrilled she was to have been a part of this collaboration.
"When artwork leaves the wall... and transforms the entire floor," Sutton wrote on Instagram.
"My carpet collaboration with @millikenco_anz is now bringing story, colour and connection to Country into workplaces, buildings and commercial spaces across Australia and the world.
"Seeing my designs come to life like this has been incredible."
Kuukili - Waterholes (Kalkadoon Language) Medium: Acrylic and Raised Acrylic on Canvas Dimensions: 121cm x 183cm
The new collection features five core designs, all reflective of Sutton's culture.
The carpet designs include Overflowing (Ngamitjurnpat), Raindrops (Milthi) Raindrops Dried Up (Muyutu Milthi), Dried Up (Muyutu) and Dried Up Raindrops (Milthi Muyutu).
Overflowing (Ngamitjurnpat) is a powerful tribute to the sacred role of waterholes, lifelines that swell with rain, connect across Country, and breathe vitality into the land, whilst Raindrops (Milthi) is a poetic tribute to the sacred rhythm of the rainy season, each dot a quiet celebration of life returning to Country.
Inspired by the evocative storytelling of Sutton, Dried Up Raindrops (Muyutu Milthi) captures the sacred and transformative moment when rain first kisses the dry earth, awakening Country and reconnecting life across the landscape.
Dried Up (Muyutu) is a striking visual and tactile narrative, an aerial homage to Country's quiet endurance and the timeless cycle of drought and renewal.
Sutton's art is deeply rooted in her connection to Country, culture, and family.
Renowned for her bold use of colour, intricate detail, and storytelling, Sutton's work brings ancestral stories into the present with optimism and emotional depth. Her commitment to reconciliation and equality is at the heart of her practice, earning her the National NAIDOC Youth of the Year award and ambassadorial roles with the Queensland Government as a Queensland Day Ambassador for the Arts and a Queensland Reconciliation Awards Ambassador.
Sutton's art has featured on the national stage, from designing the Aboriginal markings on Borobi the mascot for the 2018 Commonwealth Games to being the Australian artist selected to create artwork for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup and creating designs for major national sporting teams across the NRL, Tennis Australia and the Commonwealth Games.
She has collaborated with organisations including Amazon, Australia Post, Queensland Police, and the Australian Defence Force, and her works are held in prestigious collections, including two pieces in Buckingham Palace.
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