The Art Newspaper (Sept 19, 2024) reports that the largest-ever exhibition of Indigenous Australian art, The Stars We Do Not See, will open at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, in October 2026 before touring to major venues across the US and Canada. Organized by the National Gallery of Victoria, the show draws from its 4,700-strong collection and features works by more than 130 artists from mainland Australia and the Torres Strait. Highlights include Emily Kam Kngwarray’s monumental Anwerlarr anganenty (Big Yam Dreaming) (1995), the 100-metre-long fibre work Mun-dirra (Maningrida Fish Fence) (2023), and Spirit Dreaming through Napperby Country (1980) by Tim Leura Tjapaltjarri and Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri. The exhibition also showcases celebrated figures such as Brook Andrew, Richard Bell, Rover Thomas, Sally Gabori, Queenie McKenzie, Gulumbu Yunupingu, and historical artists William Barak and Tommy McRae. Conceived amid political tensions following the failed Voice referendum, director Tony Ellwood emphasized that Indigenous artists’ global significance transcends local divisions, presenting their cultural and artistic brilliance as “undisputed masterpieces” for international audiences
By Elizabeth Fortescue