Artist: Paul Carter 
 
‘Passenger’ by Australian artist Paul Carter is a text-based artwork that unfolds across seven sculptural forms, each echoing the determined footsteps of Noongar woman Balbuk (1840–1907) as she protested against colonial encroachment. Inspired by the writings of welfare worker and anthropologist Daisy Bates (1863–1951), the work intertwines past and present, inviting visitors to step into a layered story of resistance and passage.

Positioned at key points through Yagan Square, the seven silhouettes represent both physical and cultural journeys—tracks once walked, barriers once defied and histories that refuse to be erased. The words, scattered across these forms, only fully reveal their meaning as visitors move through the space, becoming passengers in the ongoing narrative of Yagan Square. Through this interplay of text and movement, Passenger places Balbuk’s defiance and Daisy Bates’ observations at the heart of Yagan Square’s evolving story.