In 2018, The Museum of Contemporary Art gifted Australian audiences with a survey exhibition of John Mawurndjal AM, one of Australia’s leading practitioners of raark crosshatch painting. Containing over 150 works of art, I Am The Old And The New introduced a new generation to Mawurndjul’s paintings, while significantly raising awareness of art from the Maningrida region of East Arnhem Land. To coincide with Mawurndjal’s landmark MCA show, Michael Reid Sydney assembled a sister exhibition, commencing what was to become a significant and ongoing collaboration on a global scale. Five years later, we proudly present our very first Murrurundi exhibition of sculptural work by artists from Maningrida Arts & Culture.

For this exhibition, eight prominent artists invite us to enter the spirit realm of West Arnhem Land through their highly skilled and culturally informed depictions of Djang (dreaming stories). The Mimih Spirits and Yawkyawk sculptures showing in this exhibition speak directly to each artist’s connection to Djang, an eternal, transformative power accounting for every aspect of existence.

This exhibition brings us works of art by returning artists Samson Bonson, Ivan Namirrkki, Simon Namunjdja and Don Djorlom.  Also showing is one new work by Owen Yalandja, a senior artist whose Michael Reid Sydney exhibition sold out in just eight minutes earlier this year. Joy Garlbin presents several distinct Mimih Spirit works in a striking black and white palette, who is joined by Sonia Namarnyilk, presenting a single piece. Also in this exhibition are two new Kenan Namunjdja Mimih Spirits, a welcome addition from this rising art star. Namundja rose to prominence pre-pandemic, when his work was selected by curator Mitch Cairns for inclusion in PRIMAVERA at the Museum of Contemporary Art.

Maningrida Arts & Culture is an art community establishment with over 50 years of service to artists who live and work in East Arnhem Land and is a site of contemporary cultural expression and art-making. The art centre supports hundreds of artists on their homelands in addition to arts workers and staff. This is Michael Reid’s ninth major exhibition of works from Maningrida Arts & Culture.

Back by popular demand Jessie Feitosa presents a mini release of 8 selected works. A lover of wine, coffee, travel and art, Jessie appreciates the life a piece of art can bring to a home.

Once again we are gifted with her beautiful use of colour, shadows and reflections in this latest series of cocktails and native flowers in vases.

The works will be available to purchase from July 28th.

We welcome Melanie Waugh‘s solo show The Stars Look Very Different Today. The exhibition showcases her trademark landscapes, done “with a heavy dose of Expressionism” that have won the hearts of first-time buyers, seasoned collectors, interior designers and fellow painters alike.

“The Stars Look Very Different Today is a collection of works that capture landscapes close to my heart, framed by the geography of Bellingen. This series is a portrait of the area, its reflections and shadows.”

Living in the Bellingen Valley on Gumbaynggirr country, Melanie has a Bachelor Of Fine Arts from the National Art School and a Master of Arts from UNSW. This is Melanie’s first solo show with Michael Reid Murrurundi.

Melanie has previously had three successful solo exhibitions with Michael Reid Northern Beaches and Southern Highlands. She has been a finalist in art prizes including the National Emerging Art Prize and the 9 x 5 Landscape painting prize (2021), The Kings School Art Prize (2020) and the Hawksbury Art Prize (2019) and in (2018) Melanie was awarded 2nd place in The Art In The Open Landscape Painting Prize.

Australian realist artist, Laura White returns to Murrurundi July 1st with an exquisite selection of works. Directors’ Selection showcases some of White’s strongest paintings to date. A masterclass in nature inspired still life oil paintings, the exhibition sees Laura’s love for both ceramics and the natural world combine.

As a full-time artist White paints from her studio in Berwick, Victoria. Using multiple layering methods and translucent glazes to achieve depth and texture in her work, she captures the subtle beauty found in the everyday.

We are thrilled to present Hannah van der Wal’s new body of work, Pink Dust.

Pink Dust welcomes you into an embrace with the warmth and wilderness of the Northern Territory. Based in Yirrkala, van der Wal has a deep appreciation for her surrounding landscapes (on Yolngu country). Her compositions are the result of many hours driving, walking and wandering through the wild and spiritually heavy country.

Originally from South Australia, Hannah has been living in the Northern Territory for the past 10 years. These works are what her camera and minds’ eye has stored away throughout the years.

Coming up at Murra is Fiona Smith’s new solo exhibition Domesticus. Smith explores the connection between love and memory through a series of beautifully painted birds and interiors.

Fiona Smith is a writer, social commentator and rising contemporary painter whose charming works of art have in recent years attracted significant attention. Bright, nostalgic, and layered in complex pattern work, Smith’s paintings celebrate decoration and nostalgia.

We welcome one of our most anticipated exhibitions of 2022. Carly Le Cerf’s Karijini: Contemplation of Time sees the West Australian artist return to the Pilbara, lyrically capturing the landscape in encaustic wax techniques.

This will be Le Cerf’s most ambitious paintings she has ever made, including a museum scale landscape that will exhibit proudly at Murrurundi for a month. This exhibition will also be accompanied by a major announcement, signalling an exciting new direction for the artist. Those wishing to acquire must register for priority access. Please email galleryassistant@michaelreid.com.au to register.

South Australian sculptor Trevor Smith will present a collection of new crochet sculptures next month at The Art Gallery of Ballarat. Smith has been engaged by The Art Gallery of Ballarat to create an exhibition of work that responds to the collection of art and artefacts belonging to the famed Lindsay’s of Creswick VIC, who are recognised as one of Australia’s leading artistic families.

Jane Reynolds is a Sydney-based still life painter whose poised compositions investigate the relationships between colour, form and light. She invests everyday objects with visual delight through a vibrant colour palette that ricochets off each surface, painted with stunning realism. Through this, she explores still life as an interlocking system of formal elements.

Shelf Life furthers Reynold’s investigation into the formal language and relationships created in her still life arrangements. Her studio shelf becomes a platform for infinite possibilities to create small worlds and fictitious landscapes for the eye to explore. Everyday objects – found domestic items, painted product packaging – are arranged to bring focus to their basic form and aesthetic value.

Objects are created, grouped, studied for each arrangement, then broken down and the process starts again as part of an ongoing evolution.

Now showing at Murra is an enchanting exhibition by leading Australian artist, Julianne Ross Allcorn. A Bush Garden Escape showcases alluring scenes which showcase the beautiful Australian wildlife, botanicals, light and shadow, and all the tiny creatures that inhabit our country.