Amid the growing recognition of Indigenous art in the contemporary art world, new partnerships are being planned to promote the global presence of Indigenous works. The National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, has announced a partnership with the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) in Australia that will facilitate the exchange of important works from the permanent collections of both institutions. This partnership will begin with the largest ever exhibition of Australian indigenous art in the US, entitled “The Stars We Can’t See,” which will debut in Washington, DC, in October next year. With more than 200 pieces by more than 130 artists, it will showcase lesser-known but important works alongside fine art, many of which have never left Australia.
Kaywin Feldman, the director of the National Gallery of Art, expressed his excitement to the Observer, saying that the center is “thrilled that this partnership will allow our audiences to discover the amazing and wonderful art of Aboriginal Australia” and added that the work on display “shows how art can tell cultural stories.” and communities at all times.”
“Stars We Cannot See” will provide American audiences with an expanded view of Aboriginal art from the 19th century to the present, illuminating the richly diverse visual traditions of Australia’s 250+ Aboriginal tribes and highlighting their unique artistic contributions that preceded them. the British colonial period.
The theme of the exhibition will be “dot paintings” or “sand paintings,” which began as spiritual practices based on Aboriginal practices that reconnect the person with the greater universe. These paintings are often created in states of altered consciousness, deeply bound in the Dreamtime—the spiritual plane where ancestral beings create the world, animals, and laws. This connection makes the works not only visual arts but also tools for healing and communion with ancestral spirits. The show’s title is inspired by the late Yolŋu artist Gumbu Yunupiŋu, known as the “Star Lady” for her intricate dot paintings that evoke a starry sky that captures the spiritual dimension central to the show’s themes.
One episode that stands out is Emily Kam Kngwarray’s Anwerlarr Anganenty (Big Yam Dreaming)1995, a giant nine-by-twenty-seven-foot canvas. This work, an icon of the NGV collection, explores the complex web of underground life through a tangled system of roots and yams. Kngwarray’s major exhibition at the Gagosian Paris 2022 was the fourth in a series focusing on Indigenous Australian artists, and the Gagosian is one of the first galleries in the world to highlight Indigenous art.
The exhibition also features contemporary urban artists working in new media, such as Brook Andrew, Reko Rennie, Ricky Maynard, Maree Clarke and Lorraine Connelly-Northey. And among these artists is Richard Bell, who recently had a solo booth at Independent 20th Century and represented Australia at the 2019 Venice Biennale following an installation at Tate Modern, which later acquired one of his works, underscoring the growing recognition of Australian indigenous artists. in the world of contemporary art.
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“In recent times, we’ve seen a lot of interest in Australian indigenous art around the world,” NGV director Tony Ellwood told the Observer. “We have seen many exhibitions and First Nations artists represented by overseas galleries. ‘Unseen Stars’ will be the largest film of its kind in the world, a major and historic undertaking for the NGV.”
It will also be the largest collection of First Nations artworks to travel widely as, after the first exhibition in Washington DC, the exhibition will tour the US and Canada from 2025 to 2027, stopping at the Denver Art Museum, Portland Art Museum, Peabody. The Essex Museum in Salem, MA, and the Royal Ontario Museum in Canada. In exchange, the National Gallery of Art will send a selection of major works from its collection of modern and contemporary American art for display at the NGV.
Ellwood noted that the contemporary art world is finally giving Aboriginal and First Nations artists a prominent place, recognizing their work as powerful carriers of ancestral traditions, wisdom and other ways to promote a sustainable relationship with the planet. Although the trend has been growing for years, this year’s Venice Biennale reinforced the “iconic presence” of indigenous artists, as artistic director Adriano Pedrosa wrote.
Several national newspapers have achieved historic firsts this year by promoting Aboriginal artists. Examples include Jeffrey Gibson’s take on the US Pavilion, Glicéria Tupinambá’s work on the Brazilian landscape (renamed Hahãwpuá) and Inuuteq Storch becoming the first Greenlandic and Inuk artist to represent Denmark. The Golden Lion for Best National Participation went to Australia for First Nation artist Archie Moore’s powerful installation spanning 5,000 years of Indigenous history—both recorded and lost. Engraved in charcoal on the black walls, their installation is in stark contrast to the revised State records floating in the canal. Moore’s lyrical meditations on family archives and national records highlight the historical oppression and high rates of incarceration of First Nations people, confronting the viewer with the continuing effects of colonial rule.
The growing awareness of Indigenous culture and rights, and the need to preserve their cultural production, began long before the recent attention from institutions like the Biennale. The “Ambassador of Aboriginal Tents”, an ongoing protest for the rights of the world’s Aboriginal people, was established in Australia in 1972. Aboriginal Australians, often described as the world’s oldest continuous culture, boast a history dating back more than 65,000 years. This remarkable longevity can be attributed to their deep connection to the land, rich spiritual beliefs, complex social practices and adaptability over time, but also it is a proof of their strong resistance and resilience in the face of new immigrants, who played an important role. in preserving their cultural identity.
In New York, the Asia Society recently opened “Madain: Eighty Years of Aboriginal Australian Yirrkala Bark Painting,” an exhibition highlighting the rich history of Aboriginal bark painting. Curated by the Yolŋu people of northeastern Arnhem Land, Australia, the exhibition includes thirty-three new pieces alongside other unique examples of the process.
Earlier this year, the Tate launched a program aimed at expanding its collection of indigenous art, starting with a four-year commitment from the AKO Foundation to support the purchase of Sámi and Inuit works from Northern Europe. This center will, in the future, carry out projects to research, collect and display works of art from the indigenous communities of South Asia, Oceania and the Americas. In late August, the museum also announced its acquisition of Moore’s award-winning Venice Biennale installation.
“Stars We Can’t See: Indigenous Australian Art” will open at the National Gallery of Art, Washington DC, on October 15 and run through March 1, 2026. The exhibit will then move to the Denver Art Museum (April 19-July 26, 2026). , the Portland Art Museum (September 2026-January 2027), the Peabody Essex Museum (February-June 2027) and the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto (July 2027-January 2028).
