The Grey Art Museum of New York University takes part in the travelling exhibition Irriṯitja Kuwarri Tjungu (Past and Present Together). Starting from January 22 to April 11, 2026, the exhibition pays tribute to the Papunya painting movement born in 1971, now widely recognised in global contemporary art.
Karilywarra, © Naata Nungurrayi, Photo Courtesy of the Grey Art Museum
Emerged from a small group of Aboriginal artists, the community started to represent once-secret ancestral designs using acrylic paint.
Travels of Kutungu from Papunnga to Muruntji, © Inyuwa Nampitjinpa, Photo Courtesy of the Grey Art Museum
What makes this endeavour so unique is its ambitious Aboriginal curatorial work, as the 120 paintings are assembled according to the principles of genealogy, place, and ancestral travels of Indigenous communities.
Five Stories, © Michael Jagamara Nelson, Photo Courtesy of the Grey Art Museum
SOURCE: The Grey Art Museum