The grace of non resistance, 2026

Contentment, for me, is less about arriving somewhere and more about accepting life as it is in that moment.
It is learning when to stop pushing against the current.

I scuba dive with my dad off the Dharawal coastline, where we sometimes encounter weedy sea dragons.
Seeing them underwater is a magical experience.
They are delicate and almost otherworldly, drifting gracefully with the movement of the ocean, their bodies mimicking the gentle sway of the seaweed.

There is a quiet strength in the way the sea dragon exists. It does not fight the movement around it or dominate its environment. It observes, adapts and moves with the current.
Its protection comes through camouflage, stillness and an ability to become part of its surroundings.

The Grace of Non Resistance, explores that same idea in our own lives. Non resistance is not passivity or giving up. For me, it is about surrendering the need to control every outcome, observing what is around us and accepting where we are in that moment. There can be strength in yielding and grace in allowing life to move around and through us.

I created the sea dragon using ochres, ground coral and sea urchin, with small white stones collected on Dharawal Country. The use of natural materials is an important part of the work. Rather than simply depicting something from the natural world, I wanted the textures, colours and imperfections of these materials to physically form the sea dragon and carry their own connection to Country and the environment.

The work is a reflection on contentment, observation and surrender.
A reminder that not everything needs to be resisted.
Sometimes, like the sea dragon, we can simply move with the current.

Gemma Ashley Lloyd is an emerging First Nations artist based on Dharawal Country.

Her creative practice is driven by curiosity and a love of making.
Rather than working within one particular medium or style, Gemma enjoys experimenting with different materials, techniques and forms, allowing her ideas to guide the creative process.

Gemma completed a Certificate IV in Cultural Arts at Eora TAFE in 2024 and was selected as a finalist in the Meroogal Women’s Art Prize in both 2024 and 2026.
She continues to explore new ways of making and is constantly developing a creative practice that is experimental, evolving and distinctly her own.