Amarina Toby is a Githabul, Bundjalung, and Gaangalu artist working from Widjabul Wiabul Country. Her paintings, rendered in earth pigments on canvas, explore the interplay of cultural memory, ecological cycles, and seasonal observation. Works such as Dumberimba (2024) and Widjabul Wiabul (2024) trace waterways, topographical shifts, and layered histories, using texture, ochre, and rhythmic mark-making to map knowledge across time and generations.
In 2021, Amarina founded Amarina AARI (Aboriginal Artist Run Initiative) in Dumberimba (Lismore), a First Nations–led gallery and cultural hub. Through seasonal exhibitions, artist talks, workshops, and community programming, Amarina foregrounds Indigenous voices, creative methodologies, and cross-generational knowledge transfer. Exhibitions such as Natural and Reused (2024) intertwine regenerative material practices with narratives of cultural fragility and renewal, highlighting how materials themselves carry stories of place.
Alongside her studio practice, Amarina works collaboratively with other disciplines, including fashion and activism. For example, she contributed hand-painted artwork and original poetry to Nagnata’s Art + Activism tee, merging Bundjalung and English text on organic, gender-inclusive cotton and supporting initiatives for Indigenous artists. She also facilitates participatory workshops, such as Creating on Country with Amarina through the NORPA Flow program, fostering communal engagement with land, story, and creative practice.
