The National Gallery of Australia hosts the most extensive collection of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artwork worldwide. Some of its most significant pieces will be exhibited in Berlin, within the exhibition “Indigenous Australia”, in partnership with me Collectors Room Berlin. The exhibit is curated by Franchesca Cubillo, NGA Senior Curator of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art.

“Indigenous Australia” explores the works from the early 19th century up to contemporary practices. Paintings will be exhibited together with videos, sculptures and installations, reflecting Aboriginal culture’s deep spirituality in its connection to its land and today’s issues arising in Aboriginal society: identity, politics and complex history. The religious mythology of the dreaming holds an important place in many of the works, producing images of intricate patterns belonging to particular regions. Early works show natural phenomena and the land, with the use of natural pigments and bark. Later on, the more frequent exchanges between Aboriginal and western culture gave birth to new styles and the adoption of medium such as acrylic paint and watercolors, still retaining the central themes of nature, land, and community.