previous Exhibitions
NONGGIRRNGA MARAWILI Ḏäl - Resilience
VIEW WORKS ON TIMBER BOARD CATALOGUE
VIEW WORKS ON LARRAKITJ CATALOGUE
VIEW WORKS ON PAPER CATALOGUE - FROM THE STOCKROOM
‘Resilience' is a word that readily comes to mind when describing the work practices of several artists I have worked with over the past 35 years but none more so than Nonggirrnga Marawili. To practice one’s art is often challenging, yet after a lifetime of raising a family and being responsible for significant commitments surrounding cultural law together with managing the ageing proc ess, Nonggirrnga Marawili’s ḏäl (Yolngu interpretation for resilience) to paint a body of new works is nothing short of spectacular. Her chosen media of mainly recycled paper and large-scale timber boards shows her capacity to overcome adversity, her strength and drive as an artist, continually pushing boundaries and reaching new heights.
Beverly Knight, Director, Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne July 2021
Nonggirrnga Marawili is regarded as one of the most important and revered contemporary Australian Indigenous artists today; a highly respected senior Yolngu artist and elder, Marawili continues to create bold and highly sophisticated artworks that reflect her innate love and knowledge of country, culture, history, and the natural environment.
Alcaston Gallery presents ḏäl - resilience, an exhibition of new work by Nonggirrnga Marawili including new paintings on large-scale timber boards, larrakitj (ceremonial hollow poles) and works on paper featuring the artist’s signature use of magenta and fuchsia inks reclaimed from discarded print toners and acrylic paint, together with natural ochres and earth pigments. The integration of recycled ink alongside ochre first emerged in Marawili’s works in 2017, marking an important development in her artistic practice; one which aligns with the Maḏarrpa philosophy ‘if you paint the land you should use the land’.
Winner of the coveted Bark Painting Award at the Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards in both 2015 and 2019, and winner of the Roberts Family Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Prize, as part of the Wynne Prize at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney in 2019, Marawili continues to reach new and exciting artistic heights; she has been represented in prestigious landmark exhibitions including Defying Empire: National Indigenous Art Triennial at the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra and Who’s Afraid of Colour at the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne in 2017, and importantly, her work was presented in a major solo exhibition and publication entitled From my Heart and Mind at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney. In 2020 her work was featured in the prestigious NIRIN: Biennale of Sydney at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney.
This year Nonggirrnga Marawili has been shortlisted for the 38th Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards, as well as being announced as a finalist in both the Hadley’s Art Prize in Hobart, Tasmania and the Wynne Prize at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney. She is also represented in the major landmark exhibition Know My Name: Australian Women Artists 1900 to Now at the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra and STEPS AHEAD at the ARTIZON Museum (formerly Bridgestone Museum of Art), Tokyo, Japan.
ALCASTON GALLERY - A CONTINUING CELEBRATION OF WOMEN
In 2024, Alcaston Gallery is once again proud to celebrate and advocate for International Women's Day.
This year's theme is Inspire Inclusion; to inspire a sense of belonging, relevance, and empowerment; to build a more inclusive world for all women; to invest in women and accelerate progress!
Alcaston Gallery has invested significantly in First Nations women artists - with rewards for the artists, financially and culturally, having a significant rippling effect for their families and ...
Rene Sundown •Ngura Tali - Sand Dune Country
Alcaston Gallery is thrilled to introduce respected senior Yankunytjatjara artist, Rene Sundown, in her debut exhibition with the gallery, Ngura Tali - Sand Dune Country.
Sundown is a senior artist and longstanding director of the Iwantja Art Centre in Indulkana, South Australia, whose practice is dedicated to passing on knowledge to future generations. Having exhibited in important national and international group exhibitions over the past decade, this will be Sundown’s ...
Alcaston Gallery Christmas Gifts Exhibition 2023•Limited edition PRINTS and WORKS ON PAPER
Alcaston Gallery Christmas Gifts Exhibition 2023 presents exceptional works on paper and limited edition prints from over thirty-five years of contemporary Australian First Nations art showcasing a selection of rare and special release works by important artists on exhibition at the Alcaston Gallery Exhibition Space, 84 William Street, Melbourne/Naarm from 29 November until 15 December 2023.
CLAY•Ben McKeown•Karen Mills•Dean Smith
Clay comes from the earth; in its many forms, textures and colours, clay harnesses our world’s enigmatic power, energy, and secret life force.
With its affinity to earth and water, clay is an accumulated matrix of plant, animal, and mineral; wet or dry, white or coloured, this natural material has been used since ancient times in the form of ochre in sacred ceremonies and for medicinal purposes, as well as a strong, pliable matter for utilitarian functions such as building, cooking and creating practical ...
All About Art - Annual Collectors Exhibition: Counterpoint•Mirdidingkingathi Juwarnda Sally Gabori (c.1924 -2015)
Alcaston Gallery is honoured to present two solo exhibitions in conjunction with the Estates of Mirdidingkingathi Juwarnda Sally Gabori (c.1924 - 2015) and Ginger Riley Munduwalawala (c.1936 – 2002).
Alcaston Gallery’s annual All About Art collectors’ exhibition will include significant paintings within the theme of our 2024 exhibition series Counterpoint. As Ginger Riley would often say, “the same but different”. Gabori and Riley are both remembered as two of Australia’s most influential ...
