The National Gallery invites Expressions of Interest from First Nations Australian curators to lead the 6th National Indigenous Art Triennial in 2028. We are seeking bold, innovative proposals that focus on ideas centered around community and collaboration.

The inaugural National Indigenous Art Triennial opened in 2007, and it has since become a defining pillar of the National Gallery’s Artistic Program. Each iteration of the Triennial is led by a First Nations Australian curator with an original vision—elevating First Nations voices onsite in Kamberri/Canberra and across Australia and positioning Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art and artists at the centre of national and international conversations. This could be your opportunity to bring together important commissions and display new works of art by established and emerging First Nations artists from across the continent, contributing to one of the most significant events on the Australian cultural calendar. Following its presentation in Kamberri/Canberra, the National Indigenous Art Triennial will tour nationally.

The 6th National Indigenous Art Triennial will be presented at a particularly resonant moment in the National Gallery’s history, coinciding with the 40th anniversary of the commissioning and acquisition of The Aboriginal Memorial (1987–88) — a work of profound cultural, political, and historical significance within the National Gallery’s collection and within the national consciousness.

The National Indigenous Art Triennial is made possible through the continued generosity of the National Gallery’s First Nations Arts Partner Wesfarmers Arts. Since 2009, the National Gallery and Wesfarmers Arts have enjoyed a strong collaborative partnership dedicated to supporting, celebrating and sharing First Nations Australian art and culture. The partnership also works to build capacity within the arts sector by providing professional development and mentorship opportunities for First Nations Australian artists and arts workers.

Applicants are asked to submit an up-to-date Curriculum Vitae and an Exhibition Proposal outlining your curatorial approach, each no more than two pages, to Massimo.Martelli@nga.gov.au. It would be advantageous to include the names of the proposed artist/s and collaborator/s. No images are required at this stage.

The deadline for submissions is 11.50pm on Tuesday 30 June 2026. Please note that curators must identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.

Further information about the position may be obtained by contacting Nick Mitzevich via Massimo.Martelli@nga.gov.au.

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Curator - National Indigenous Art Triennial

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