Future Country at NGV Australia

Landing at The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia on March 20, Future Country marks the second iteration of the Country Road and NGV First Nations Commissions – a biennial national mentorship and exhibition program supporting the next generation of Australian First Nations artists and designers. 

Presented on Level 3 in the First Nations Art galleries, the exhibition brings together eight newly commissioned works that look to the future while remaining grounded in ancestral knowledge, truth-telling and place.

For this year’s program, emerging practitioners from every state and territory are paired with some of the country’s most respected First Nations artists and cultural leaders. The 2026 cohort includes mentor-artist pairings such as Brook Andrew and Jahkarli Romanis (Vic), Clothilde Bullen and Katie West (WA), Megan Cope and Boneta-Marie Mabo (Qld), Brenda L Croft and Paul Girrawah House (ACT), Karla Dickens and Charlotte Allingham (NSW), Lola Greeno and Nunami Sculthorpe-Green (Tas), Doreen Jinggarrabarra and Stephanie Ali (NT), and Yhonnie Scarce and Carly Tarkari Dodd (SA).

Working across photography, sculpture, video, textiles and large-scale installations, the artists respond to the Future Country theme through non-linear approaches to time, intergenerational knowledge and an embodied relationship to Country. Each mentor supports the artist to develop their most ambitious work to date, with all commissions entering the NGV Collection.

Presented by the NGV and supported by Country Road Brands, Future Country offers a powerful snapshot of contemporary First Nations art and design. Open for nearly six months, the exhibition is free to visit.

Find out more and plan your visit.

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