From the 19th of February to June 6th: experience “A velvet ant, a flower and a bird” at the Potter Museum of Art in Naarm (Melbourne), a major exhibition bringing together contemporary art, ecology and systems of knowledge, including works by leading Aboriginal artists from across Australia.
Installation views of A velvet ant, a flower and a bird, Potter Museum of Art, the University of Melbourne, 2026. © Courtesy of the Potter Museum, Photography by Christian Capurro.
Presented as a living “garden of knowledge”, the exhibition explores interconnectedness through art, biology and storytelling. Aboriginal artists featured in the exhibition include Harold Munkara, Helen Ganalmirriwuy Garrawurra, Ian Wayne Abdullah, Josie Papialuk, Judith Pungkarta Inkamala, Margaret Rarru Garrawurra and Rrikin Burarrwaŋa, whose practices reflect deep relationships to Country, kinship, memory and cultural continuity.
Drawing from the University of Melbourne’s collections alongside new commissions and performances, the exhibition positions Indigenous knowledge systems alongside contemporary artistic practice to imagine intelligence as collective, living and interdependent.
Installation views of A velvet ant, a flower and a bird, Potter Museum of Art, the University of Melbourne, 2026. © Courtesy of the Potter Museum, Photography by Christian Capurro.
Guest curated by Professor Dr Chus Martínez, A velvet ant, a flower and a bird creates space for dialogue between cultures, ecologies and generations through works spanning painting, sculpture, installation and performance.