Ever Present: First Peoples Art of Australia

Ever Present: First Peoples Art of Australia represents the most significant milestone in our twelve-year partnership with National Gallery of Australia (NGA).

Drawn from the NGA collection and The Wesfarmers Collection of Australian Art, this landmark exhibition charts the evolution of First Nations art in Australia through more than one hundred and fifty rare and iconic historical and contemporary works by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists from across Australia, assembled for a world-wide audience.

In the exhibition’s sole Australian presentation ahead of a two year international tour, Ever Present launched at the Art Gallery of Western Australia on 9 December 2021, running until 18 April 2022 before travelling to the National Gallery Singapore in May this year where it will run until 25 September 2022.

The largest exhibition of First Nations art ever to travel to Asia, Ever Present features iconic works by over 80 artists, exploring seven overarching and interlinked themes: Ancestors + Creators; Country + Constellations; Community + Family; Culture + Ceremony; Trade + Influence; Resistance + Colonisation; and Innovation + Identity. Together the works underline the ever-present existence of the First Peoples of Australia.

“Ever Present celebrates the creativity, diversity, strength, resilience and pride of early and contemporary Indigenous artists highlighting their artistic, cultural, social and political expressions that reinforce their time immemorial connections and their ever-present presence in this country.” says Curator of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art at the National Gallery, Tina Baum.

“From Albert Namatjira's Ormiston Gorge, Rover Thomas’ Tomato Creek and Ord River, and Mabel Juli's Wardal and Garnkeny to Julie Dowling's Self-portrait: in our county, the works in the exhibition traverse themes of identity, connection, Australia's contested historical narratives, and the contemporary experience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists practising today. Each piece reveals the determination of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists to tell their stories in their own way.”

Although a celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art, Ever Present does not shy away from Australia's complex histories. The artists contest populist views of Australian history, using art as a tool of resistance and replacing physical weaponry with wit, satire and juxtaposition to confront viewers and encourage conversations that are essential to dispute outdated myths and ideologies.

This significant exhibition results from our long-term and highly-valued partnerships with both the National Gallery and The Art Gallery of Western Australia – and our new exhibiting partnership with National Gallery Singapore. Ever Present represents some of the most important historical and contemporary art produced in Australia and celebrates the central place that Indigenous art occupies in defining the contemporary face of Australia, both at home and to the world.