“After the Rain is about rebirth and new beginnings.” This ongoing line of thought inspired First Nations curator Tony Albert to direct the 5th National Indigenous Art Triennale. The recurring event, established in 2007, will open in Kamberri (Canberra) at the National Gallery and then tour across the Nation for the following three years.
Naminapu Maymuru-White, Mangalili people, painting in her studio. © Photo courtesy of Buku Larrngay Mulka Art Centre, Yirrkala, and Sullivan and Strumpf.
The 2026 edition introduces 10 large-scale immersive multidisciplinary commissioned installations, with notable artists such as:
- ARETHA BROWN, Gumbaynggirr people
- ALAIR PAMBEGAN, Wik-Mungkan people
- WARRABA WEATHERALL, Kamilaroi people
- HOUSE OF NAMATJIRA, members of Albert Namatjira’s community
- DYLAN MOONEY, Yuwi people, Zenadth Kes/Torres Strait and South Sea Islander
- JIMMY JOHN THAIDAY, Kuz/Peiudu peoples
- NAMINAPU MAYMURU-WHITE, Maŋgalili people
- THEA ANAMARA PERKINS, Arrernte/Kalkadoon peoples
- GRACE KEMARRE ROBINYA & YARRENYTY ARLTERE ARTISTSBLAKLASH, Troy Casey, and Amanda Hayman
Thea Anamara Perkins’ works explore the overwhelming presence of the past in one’s existence and its broader consequences within the community. You can discover her work, as well as this year’s other artists, with a deeper understanding thanks to the podcast Artists’ Artists: After the Rain.
Rise 2, 2025 acrylic on board 120 x 90 cm © Thea Anamara Perkins – Photo courtesy of the National Gallery.
Additionally, the National Gallery publishes the triennale’s visual medium “After the Rain” documenting the 10 projects’ process of creation as well as their geographical roots – from Erub ( Island in Zenadth Kes/Torres Strait), Ntaria/Hermannsburg in Central Australia, and Naarm/Melbourne.
This original and grounded project will be on from the 6th of December 2025 to the 26th of April 2026 at the Major Exhibition of the National Gallery of Canberra.
SOURCE: The National Gallery