Known for his drawings, sculptures and installations, proud Wiradjuri / Kamilaroi man Jonathon Jones has returned with 'untitled (walam-wunga.galang)', currently on display at the National Gallery of Australia.

Supported by Wesfarmers Arts, 'untitled (walam-wunga.galang)' is a collaborative project with Uncle Stan Grant Senior and Beatrice Murray, celebrating the south-east cultural practice of collecting seeds, grinding them to make flour, to make bread and feed our families.

Aboriginal grindstones as old as 32,000 years old have been unearthed in central New South Wales, making Aboriginal people some of the world's oldest bread-makers.

However, like many Aboriginal stories, this story has been ignored and displaced by Australia's colonial narrative.

Mr Jones' work is about bringing those stories to light and draws inspiration from regarded voices such as Uncle Bruce Pascoe and Bill Gammage.

"I feel that we should understand cultural objects as our kin," said Mr Jones.

"We created them, they represent us, they are extensions of our cultural knowledge and they are gifts for future generations."

Wesfarmers Managing Director Rob Scott said that "it's a truly timeless work that represents millennia of continuous cultural practice by First Nations people in this country."

"and a powerful symbol of the central role that First Nations art occupies in defining the contemporary face of Australia, both at home and to the world."

With collaboration at the heart of his practice, Jones worked with Wiradjuri Elder Dr Uncle Stan Grant Snr AM and Beatrice Murray to produce the soundscape.

Sentences included in the soundscape were recorded with Dr Uncle Stan Grant Snr AM over a cup of tea at his kitchen table in Narrandera in southern New South Wales.

Jones said he has been learning from and working with Uncle Stan for many years, who is responsible for the revival of the Wiradjuri language.

"Statements such as "Nindi-nhi bagaray-bang Nguram-bang maying-galang-girri-gu (we want healthy country for future generations)" embed the project in a cultural space and provide us with hope," Mr Jones said.

Jonathan Jones: untitled (walam-wunga.galang) is on display at the National Gallery in Kamberri/Canberra from 4 Mar – 23 Jul 2023.