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.
A proud Girramay/Yidinji/Kuku-Yalanji man, Albert 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.
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.
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.
Albert said he is looking forward to his new role and is eager to present a new vision.
"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," he said.
"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."
The first artist to lead the Triennial, Albert strives to bring new perspectives and intention to his presentation – After The Rain.
He 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 Arrernte and Kalkadoon woman Hetti Perkins in 2022.
Revealing how ceremony is at the nexus of Country, of culture and of community, the exhibition has been seen by more than 135,000 people in six locations across Australia.
National gallery director, Dr Nick Mitzevich, said he is excited to see Albert bring his creativity and enthusiasm to the next National Indigenous Art Triennial.
"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," he said.
"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."
Celebrated as one of Australia's foremost contemporary artists, 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 which saw him work 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 proppa NOW, 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 own work has also been exhibited in two Triennial exhibitions at the National Gallery, unDisclosed (2012) and Defying Empire(2021).
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.
For more fashion, beauty and lifestyle news subscribe for free to the Style Up newsletter.
