The National Gallery of Australia and curator/artist Tony Albert have announced the artists selected for the 5th National Indigenous Art Triennial opening in December in Canberra. The Triennial (often a quinquennial in its early days) brings together commissioned work by established and emerging First Nations artists, creating an important platform for art and ideas.

Each iteration of the Triennial is led by a First Nations curator with their own vision. Tony Albert (Girramay/Yidinji/Kuku-Yalanji peoples), is one of Australia’s foremost contemporary artists and, most obviously, his vision has been to reduce the number of artists involved. He has chosen just 10 artists and artist collectives compared to 30 in the first iteration in 2007 and 20 (including Albert) in the second (2012).

According to the Gallery, he has chosen “to shape out the narratives in this exhibition across 10 immersive, multidisciplinary projects. These installations are aimed at celebrating inter-generational legacies and cultural warriors of the past, present and future”.

Albert explained: “For the Triennial, I made the conscious decision to work with artists to commission fewer projects, on a more expansive scale, and challenge everyone to come and sit, and think – resonate, or respond – to where I am sitting and thinking.”

The theme of the Triennial is ‘After the Rain’, particularly relevant as a title given the preponderance of fellow-Queensland artists selected – six out of the ten. And north Queensland, as we know, is sodden!

This is Albert’s second major biennale outing as a curator, having worked on the 2024 Biennale of Sydney as the Inaugural Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain First Nations Curatorial Fellow. He is the first Indigenous Trustee for the Art Gallery of New South Wales, a member of the Art Gallery of New South Wales Indigenous advisory, a board member for the City of Sydney’s Public Art Panel and member of the Art & Place Board at the Queensland Children’s Hospital. In January 2023 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by Griffith University for his significant contribution to the arts.

The National Indigenous Art Triennial is made possible through the long-term generosity of the Gallery’s First Nations Arts Partner Wesfarmers Arts and key philanthropic supporters.
Following its presentation in Kamberri/Canberra, After the Rain will tour nationally.

The chosen few range from collectives such as House of Namatjira which brings together members of Albert Namatjira’s family and community, including Vincent Namatjira, artists from Hermannsburg Potters and Iltja Ntjarra (Many Hands) Art Centre in an installation which will include historical works of art from the national collection, to individual artists working on Country like Alair Pambegan (Wik-Mungkan people). Alair Pambegan continues his ancestors’ traditions with innovative sculptures and paintings that use the distinctive red, white and black ochre of Cape York Peninsula. Pambegan is custodian for Kalben-aw (Flying Fox Story Place) and Walkaln-aw (Bonefish Story Place), two significant ancestral narratives and story places along the rivers that run into the Gulf of Carpentaria. His father, revered lawman, elder and artist Arthur Koo’ekka Pambegan Jr (1936–2010) was featured in the 1st National Indigenous Art Triennial.

Another Elder, Grace Kemarre Robinya (Western Arrernta/Arrernte/Luritja/Anmatyerr peoples) paints her family and country in Central Australia with intricate and animated detail. She was born and raised in Ntaria/Hermannsburg, but she works with Yarrenyty Arltere Artists (Girramay/Yidinji/Kuku-Yalanji peoples) who will feature with their unique soft sculptures, created to produce strong, healthy outcomes for their town camp community located at the base of Mount Gillan in Mparntwe/Alice Springs.

From Arnhemland, Naminapu Maymuru-White (Maŋgalili people), whose works were recently acquired by London’s Tate Gallery, is a senior artist continuing Yolŋu generational practices. Her painting training began in the 1960s as one of the first Yolŋu women to be taught miny’tji (sacred creation clan designs) by her renowned artist uncle Narritjin Maymuru.

Even further north, the Torres Strait is represented by Erub artist Jimmy John Thaiday (Kuz/Peiudu peoples of Torres Strait Islands) who lives and works on his remote island. His practice includes high resolution digital video and woven ghost net sculptures. The climate concern videos won Thaiday Telstra NATSIA Multimedia Awards in 2022 and 2023.

Now for the youngsters: Warraba Weatherall (Kamilaroi people), currently has a survey exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art as reviewed on AAD recently. His Brisbane-based research-led practice seeks to regenerate Kamilaroi knowledge systems and critique museum and archival practices.

Offering “an exciting edge” according to the Gallery is the inclusion of Aretha Brown (Gumbaynggirr people), a young, Queer, Blak artist from Melbourne. Her multidisciplinary practice is grounded in truth-telling and celebrates First Nations history, knowledge and empowerment. In 2019, Brown founded the **Kiss My Art Collective to create more than 65 large-scale public murals.

Probably the best-known of this generation, Thea Anamara Perkins (Arrernte/Kalkadoon peoples) accesses family members and her Arrernte homeland as recurring subjects, often drawn from a familial archive that includes grandfather Charles, film-maker Rachel and mother Hetti.

Dylan Mooney (Yuwi people/Torres Strait and South Sea Islander) shares stories of resilience, connection and love in highly colourful and decorated portraits of First Nations peoples. Legally blind, Mooney works primarily with digital technology, using back-lit screens which create complex images that can be reproduced on paper, canvas or even multi-story buildings.

Finally Troy Casey (Kamilaroi people) and Amanda Hayman (Kalkadoon/Wakka Wakka peoples) of Blaklash. Blaklash is a First Nations design studio and social impact enterprise led by the partners. BlakLash Collective was founded in 2016 by Hayman with fellow Aboriginal curators Freja Carmichael and Katina Davidson in Magandjin/Meeanjin/Brisbane.