Mitchell Fine Art in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley presents Contours, a powerful exhibition of contemporary Aboriginal artworks from Central Australia illuminating the deep layers of ancestral connection between First Nations people and their traditional homelands, showing from 23 September - 18 October 2025.
The title Contours is layered with meaning - it intimates the formations of the desert landscape with its undulating dunes, rock formations, and dry riverbeds, and the metaphorical contours of cultural identity, memory, and belonging.
The artworks trace the emotional, cultural, and spiritual configurations of place, as well as the unseen pathways of ancestral journeys and the traditional knowledge systems that continue to guide Aboriginal life.
The exhibition features artists from Australia’s Central Desert regions who have employed vibrant colours, symbolic iconography, and a variety of painting techniques to depict sites of significance and important cultural stories.
These artworks invite viewers to see country not as a passive backdrop, but as a living presence imbued with ancestral authority.
The exhibition showcases some of the most celebrated First Nations artists including Eileen Napaltjarri, George Hairbrush Tjungurrayi, George Ward Tjungurrayi, Kudditji Kngwarreye, Makinti Napanangka, Ronnie Tjampitjinpa, Walangkura Napanangka and Willy Tjungurrayi.
At its core, Contours challenges colonial cartographies and asserts Indigenous ways of seeing, understanding and interpreting the land.
Image: Walangkura Napanangka, My Country A15590, 120 x 120cm acrylic on linen (2009)
Please note: There will be no official opening event for this exhibition