The National Gallery has announced one of Australia’s foremost contemporary artists – Tony Albert – as the Artistic Director of the 5th National Indigenous Art Triennial.
Showcasing the work of contemporary First Nations artists from across Australia, the 5th National Indigenous Art Triennial: After The Rain will open at the National Gallery in Kamberri/Canberra in December 2025, before embarking on a national tour in 2026.
“I am excited for Tony Albert to bring his creative vision to the next National Indigenous Art Triennial,” said Dr Nick Mitzevich, National Gallery Director. “In this moment, when First Nations art and cultures are receiving more attention on the world stage than ever before, appointing an artist committed to championing other emerging and established First Nations artists was a clear choice.
“Albert has achieved extraordinary visibility and critical acclaim for his art practice and perhaps more significantly he has sought and taken every opportunity to platform First Nations art,” said Mitzevich.
Tony Albert (Girramay/Yidinji/Kuku-Yalanji peoples) has a long-held interest in the cultural misrepresentation of First Nations people. Drawing on both personal and collective histories, he has developed a unique language expressed through his multidisciplinary art practice that seeks to rewrite historical mistruths and injustice.
The National Indigenous Art Triennial was established in 2007 as an exciting contemporary art event, celebrating the vitality and diversity of First Nations art in Australia. To date, over 450,000 visitors in 11 locations across the country have experienced the National Indigenous Art Triennials.
The first artist to lead the Triennial, Albert will bring new perspectives and intention to his presentation – After The Rain. Albert hopes to celebrate intergenerational legacies by working closely with First Nations artists to present new immersive projects that resonate with the idea of rebirth and cycles of cleansing.
The first four iterations have been led by a First Nations curator, the most recent exhibition Ceremony by Hetti Perkins (Arrernte and Kalkadoon peoples) in 2022. Revealing how ceremony is at the nexus of Country, of culture and of community, the exhibition has been seen by over 135,000 people in six locations across Australia.
Albert exhibits internationally and nationally and in 2023 was announced as the inaugural Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain First Nations Curatorial Fellow, a role that involved working closely with 14 artists to realise their works for the Sydney Biennale.
Albert has a history of working closely with artists including as a founding member of the Queensland Indigenous art collective proppaNOW which was set up in 2003 to give urban-based Aboriginal artists a voice and supportive environment to explore social and cultural issues through art.
Albert’s appointment as Artistic Director of the 5th National Indigenous Art Triennial speaks to the National Gallery’s continued commitment to elevate First Nations art and artist’s voices, and to explore contemporary ideas that have global resonance. Albert’s own work has been exhibited in two Triennial exhibitions at the National Gallery, unDisclosed (2012) and Defying Empire (2021), the significance of which is noted by the artist.
“I am thrilled to be appointed Artistic Director of the 5th National Indigenous Art Triennial, over a decade after my work was first exhibited in the Triennial. I’ll be working with leading contemporary artists from around the country to present a new vision – a homage to the culture warriors of the past, present and future,” said Tony Albert.
The 5th National Indigenous Art Triennial: After The Rain is made possible through the continued generosity of the National Gallery’s First Nations Arts Partner Wesfarmers Arts and key philanthropic supporters.
Wesfarmers Arts has supported the National Indigenous Art Triennial since 2009, each time enabling an extensive presentation in Kamberri/Canberra, an ambitious national touring schedule and expansive artist engagement through public programming.
The 5th National Indigenous Art Triennial: After The Rain will be on display at the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra from 6 December 2025. For more information, visit: www.nga.gov.au for details.
Image: Tony Albert (Girramay/Yidinji/Kuku-Yalanji peoples) in The Aboriginal Memorial, 1987–88, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra