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Presented at Castlemaine Art Museum, Victoria from 22 August - 29 November 2026, BIYAL is a celebration of the Guildford Biyal (Red gum), known locally as the Guildford Big Tree. In February 2024, several large limbs of the Guildford Big Tree (BIYAL) — around 25 tonnes' worth — broke off and fell. This was a significant and emotional event for the local Dja Dja Wurrung community, Elders and nearby locals. 

Part of DJAARA’s Guildford Biyal Project and curated by Uncle Rick Nelson, Kerry Douglas, Hape Kiddle, Dan Mitchell and the Big Tree Project Team, Castlemaine Art Museum invites you this Saturday 22nd August from 11am to participate in the exhibition opening ceremony, led by Djaara Elder Uncle Rick Nelson.

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Presented at Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA), Sydney until 1 March 2027, Connections: MCA x Tate has been crafted around a selection of the works co-acquired between 2015 - 2022 by MCA, Australia and the Tate, London to raise the profile of Australian contemporary art internationally. Through this groundbreaking collaboration, 35 works were jointly acquired, including the late Noŋgirrŋa Marawili, to be owned and displayed by both institutions for the benefit of the public. 

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Beverly and Anthony Knight pay tribute to a dear friend, mentor, art historian, curator and trailblazer Sr Rosemary Crumlin RSM OAM, who recently passed away at the age of 94 in Sydney.

Many clients and curators in Australia will recall many important art exhibitions curated by Rosemary Crumlin; in particular, the landmark exhibition Aboriginal Art And Spirituality in 1991, exhibited at the then new Hight Court of Australia, Canberra under the auspices of the Aboriginal and Islander Commission of the Australian Council of Churches.

When Alcaston Gallery opened in 1989, contact with remote communities and artists was by personal contacts and networks. Rosemary was one of our most valued friends back then and asked us to support the artists at Turkey Creek, now Warmun, in Western Australia and work closely with the nuns stationed there. Her next opportunity was when Fr Frank Brennan SJ AO Human Rights Advocate and Lawyer, approached Rosemary in 1990 about an Aboriginal art exhibition for the delegates for The World Council of Churches from over 300 countries visiting Australia in 1991 for their conference. Fr Frank Brennan, a Jesuit priest, nurtured the idea of Aboriginal Art and Spirituality; after much consultation, the idea blossomed and strict criteria evolved. Rosemary approached Beverly and Anthony Knight to be involved and invited Anthony to co curate the exhibition with her and Fr Frank. Together, they visited more than a dozen remote communities and their respective religious orders across Australia.

The artworks found in bush churches and places of worship, amazed everyone - the late George Mung Mung, in particular, his sculpture The Pregnant Mary (pictured below) and Hector Sundaloo, The Dead Christ in a Tree and The Young Joseph and Mary, were deeply religious and immensely powerful. It is worth recalling the paintings and sculpture in publication, Aboriginal Art And Spirituality (pictured below) and thinking through the spirituality and Law from Indigenous artists their Culture and beliefs, and its importance to daily life.

Fr Brennan’s father, Justice Sir Frank Gerard Brennan AC KBE QC, was the 10th Chief Justice of the Australian High Court, and no doubt, his desire for the exhibition to be at the newly built building implied the importance of LAW in Australia and Aboriginal culture. Installed by Anthony Knight, the exhibition still resonates today. The artists from across the land visited the opening , painted up and celebrated the exhibition including a memorable dinner at the very new Parliament House. The exhibition was then installed at the new Parliament House Canberra at the request of the Prime Minister Mr Bob Hawke then it travelled to museums across Australia.

Rosemary said she believed passionately in a mysterious God; as a curator and teacher, her achievements are enormous. Her books and exhibitions included: Images of Religion in Australian Art (1988); Beyond Belief: Modern Art and the Religious Imagination (1998, National Gallery of Victoria); The Blake Prize (2011; and The Blake Book: Art Religion and Spirituality (2011). Rosemary was working on a comprehensive Catalogue Raisonné for highly acclaimed artist Ginger Riley Munduwalawala; however, COVID hit and unfortunately, her time came to rest.

VALE Sr Rosemary Crumlin RSM OAM. A remarkable life well lived.

Congratulations to Judith Pungarta Inkamala who was awarded Best Australian Short Film at the 2026 Melbourne International Film Festival for Our Choir Has Always Been Travelling (2025), directed by Marjorie "Nunga" Williams, Nelson Armstrong, and Judith Pungarta Inkamala.

The brilliant animated film pays homage to the decades long practices of six incredible artist-choristers: Judith Pungarta Inkamala and Anita Mbitjana Ratara of the world-renowned Hermannsburg Potters; and Marjorie "Nunga" Williams, Kunmanara Donald, Betty Conway and Lizzie Topsy Topora Jako of Tangentyere Artists.  

Congratulations to emerging Pintupi artist Adrian Jurra Tjungurrayi who has been announced as a Finalist, Vincent Lingiari Art Award 2026, celebrating 50 years of Land Rights. 

Presented by Desart and the Central Land Council, the Vincent Lingiari Art Award winners will be announced on 10 September 2026 during the official opening celebration of Desert Mob 2026 at the Araluen Arts Centre. 

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