Racquel Austin-Abdullah is a contemporary glass artist and descendant of the Southern Paakantji/Barkindji peoples of Far Western New South Wales, Australia. Born in Sydney, she draws on Barkindji cultural knowledge, contemporary glassmaking, and material-based storytelling to explore connections among Country, cultural innovation, memory, and transformation.
Formally trained in glass and jewellery at the South Australian School of Art and Melbourne Polytechnic, Austin-Abdullah works across kiln-formed, engraving and sculptural glass processes. Her practice investigates how contemporary glass can communicate Indigenous ways of knowing while creating new dialogues between cultural innovation and contemporary art.
A recurring influence within her work is kuruka, the Paakantji term for basket: a woven vessel traditionally made from seasonal rushes for functional and cultural use. Integral to its use is submerging the basket in shallow lake waters, weighting it with stones and leaving it beneath the surface until the vessel is activated. This knowledge, passed through generations, reflects a deep understanding of the relationships between water, plant materials, seasonality, and Country.
86 x 530 x 530 mm, kiln-formed and diamond-engraved glass, sculptural vessel.
This designer has been selected for Floating 2026. Discover the exhibition and the complete selection of designers at this page.