Image: D Lan Galleries, Melbourne
D Lan Galleries will present a group of works by significant First Nations artists at Sydney Contemporary 2026, with the display scheduled for 3–6 September at Booth B15, Carriageworks, in Eveleigh, Sydney. The presentation will bring together paintings, works on bark, metal and paper by artists from several cultural regions across Australia, including Emily Kam Kngwarray, Gunybi Ganambarr, Noŋgirrŋa Marawili, Tiger Palpatja, Cliff Reid, Spinifex artists and Paddy Nyunkuny Bedford.
At the centre of the presentation is a group of paintings by the late Anmatyerr artist Emily Kam Kngwarray (c.1910–1996). According to the gallery, Kngwarray has recently been the subject of major retrospective exhibitions in Canberra, London and Switzerland, and her work continues to attract international attention. The works selected for Sydney include ‘Awelye’ (1990), ‘Oorooterna – Wild Fruits’ (1991), and three untitled paintings dated between 1995 and 1996.
The booth will also feature works by Yolŋu artists Gunybi Ganambarr and Noŋgirrŋa Marawili (c.1939–2023). Their presentation includes works on bark and metal, among them Ganambarr’s ‘Spring Water Running Through Reeds’ (2024), a large sheet of reclaimed aluminium cut with sacred miny’tji designs. Other listed works include Ganambarr’s ‘Ŋaymil’ and ‘Ḏarra I’, both from 2019 and 2024 respectively, alongside Marawili’s ‘Bol’ŋu’, ‘Untitled’, ‘Tea Pots’ and ‘Tea Cups’.
Paintings by the late Pitjantjatjara artist Tiger Palpatja (c.1920–2012) will be shown from his estate. The gallery states that these works, which depict his ancestral Country, will be exhibited in Australia for the first time. The selection includes ‘Wati Ngintaka Tjukurpa’ (2010), ‘Piltati, Wati Waṉampi’ (2010) and two works titled ‘Piltati’ from 2010.
A survey presentation of Ngaanyatjarra artist Cliff Reid (c.1947–2010) will form another part of the booth. Reid’s practice is described by the gallery as being shaped by Ngaanyatjarra Law, Country and ancestral knowledge, as well as parallel oral and visual storytelling traditions. His paintings include works titled ‘Yirliltu’, ‘Tingarri’, ‘Tjilikan’, ‘Wati Kutjarra’ and ‘Warntjintja Rockhole’, made between 2005 and 2010. The survey marks D Lan Galleries’ second presentation of Reid’s work. A related online exhibition is scheduled for 3–30 September 2026.
The presentation is completed by two collaborative works by Spinifex artists from Western Australia’s Great Victoria Desert and a rare group of paintings and works on paper by the late Gija artist and lawman Paddy Nyunkuny Bedford (c.1922–2007). The Spinifex works are identified as having been painted by Simon Hogan, Lawrence Pennington, Fred Grant, Ned Grant and Roy Underwood. D Lan Galleries operates spaces in Melbourne/Naarm, Sydney/Gadigal and New York/Lenapehoking.
