Even though I have been to Australia several times, I was unprepared for the wide range of artworks now on display at the National Gallery. In fact, the only things that came to my mind about Australian Indigenous art before viewing the exhibit were traditional “dot” paintings. “The Stars We Do Not See: Australian Indigenous Art,” with nearly 200 works by 130 artists, contains art derived from those paintings, and a whole lot more.
There are artworks produced from the late 19th century to the present, most clearly revealing their origins in earlier indigenous culture, many commenting on the present day by putting new spins on old forms. Many of them are being displayed in North America for the first time.
There were over 600 cultural groups and over 250 languages in Australia when the first Europeans arrived in the 18th century. The art has continued to evolve. Media include ochre bark paintings, sculpture, jewelry, and experimental weavings, as well as the work of new-media artists who dialog with tradition using neon, video, photography, and sound.
“It is impossible for any exhibition to fully capture the diversity and complexity of Australian Indigenous art. Since long before the invention of the written word, First Nations people have transmitted important cultural knowledge through a combination of art, song, dance, and story,” said Myles Russell-Cook, Artistic Director and CEO of the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (ACCA), and former Senior Curator at the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV). “These works represent 65,000 years of culture, sharing the unique and special qualities of First Peoples art in Australia with the world. Both the [exhibition catalog] and the exhibition represent a significant community effort, which I hope will foster greater connection and understanding of First Peoples culture and art.”
Here are some works that stood out to me:
A set of bark paintings skewed towards the traditional notions of Indigenous Australian art.
This grouping of paintings reminded me of quilts; specifically of the Gee’s Bend quilts, which have the same spirit of subversion of traditional tropes within a constrained format.
And for subversion, the set of painted skateboards stood out within a collection of modern media. So did two necklaces on display: a ferocious-looking set of kangaroo teeth juxtaposed with a “lei” of traditional material plus metal clearly repurposed from beverage cans.
The Stars We Do Not See: Australian Indigenous Art will be on view at the National Gallery of Art until March 1, 2026, and will subsequently travel to the Denver Art Museum in Colorado, the Portland Art Museum in Oregon, and the Peabody Essex Museum in Massachusetts.