Yondee (Shane Hansen) - Noongar Artist from southern Western Australia

Yondee (Shane Hansen) is a Noongar man from Western Australia, now based on the Gold Coast in Queensland. He was born in 1964 in Dumbleyung, 270 km south of Perth. The name Dumbleyung is derived from the Aboriginal word 'Dambeling' meaning large lake, and refers to the lake nearby which is the largest in south west WA. Yondee remembers this lake as a child and being told stories of the Wagal (rainbow snake) in its waters.

He was told about hunting and shown sand drawings by his father. Around the age of ten he would travel and visit his aunties on the Swan River and would collect paper bark to help them in their art work. It was here that he started to learn about art from his older relatives who are known for their painting on paper bark.

He is an experienced and accomplished artist who is developing a way of working with sand and ochres to depict the stories and legends of his people. He also paints detailed figurative works based on mission life, hunting and animals. His works are abstract in their presentation but narrative in their content.

He wishes to continue the stories of his grandfather. He learnt these stories and images as ground paintings so he feels the translation of them to sand paintings does them justice and brings them to new audiences.

Yondee has painted with the Campfire group of Aboriginal artists in Brisbane as well as exhibiting his work in a number of galleries in Western Australia, NSW, Queensland and overseas (USA and Ireland).