Ngura Mawa - Volta @ Art Basel (Basel, 2026)

Ngura Mawa
Gadigal Translation: Country Makes Me
VOLTA - Art Basel
17 June 2026

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Ngura Mawa: Warrane Badu
Gadigal Translation: Sydney Waters (Sydney Harbour)
200cm x 250cm (20 panels @ 50cm x 50cm ea)
Acrylic paint on linen
Sydney's many coastal coves and harbour inlets were home to the Gadigal for thousands of years. Our people, known for having a unique and exquisitely practical method of moving from one fixed address to another in order to ensure a sustainable practice of food procurement, camped in the area known as Blackwattle Bay where archeologists have uncovered middens, rock engravings and remnants of sophisticated eel traps . This bay was where the fresh water met the saltwater of the harbour. The swamp lands around Glebe would empty out into the bay. It is likely that eel or Barra found their way to this place during big rains and we know the Gadigal had this beautiful Ngura as a camp and place of shelter and safety. The Gadigal lands are rich with record of sophisticated technological advancements. Sites record the mechanised fishing practises unique to Gadi women, medical treatments still used in modern medicine today and amazing technical structures such as the eel trap that are marvelled at for their skill and precision. This painting uses traditional Gadigal knowledge combined with Colonial journal source material and current digital mapping technology has then been overlayed to create a record of the old and new in one single body of work.
VOLTA - Art Basel
17 June 2026

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The EMERGE + ENGAGE programme at VOLTA creates a space for conversations to unfold in real time and demonstrate what it means to collect, create, and connect with intention.

This panel will explore the Everywhen in Practice: Representing Contemporary Aboriginal Art Across Time, Place and Platform in the Contemporary Aboriginal Art Pavilion and introduce the audience to Aboriginal concepts expressed through a wide range of artistic practices presented at the VOLTA Pavilion.

Speakers: Adam Knight, Founder, Adam Knight Fine Art; Konstantina, Artist, (represented by Arts d’Australie • Stéphane Jacob); Onome Ekeh, FHNW, Institute of Gender, Art and Nature. Moderator: Tamsin Hong, Curator, Serpentine

Everywhen in Practice: Representing Contemporary Aboriginal Art Across Time, Place and Platform.
Art Panel Discussion
VOLTA - Art Basel @ Aboriginal Contemporary Art Pavilion

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Everywhen in Practice: Representing Contemporary Aboriginal Art Across Time, Place and Platform.
Art Panel Discussion
VOLTA - Art Basel @ Aboriginal Contemporary Art Pavilion

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Negative Space : Barraba
100cm x 150 cm
Ochre and Acrylic paint on linen
VOLTA - Art Basel

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Ken Done Loves Joy
120cm x 120cm
Acrylic paint on linen
VOLTA - Art Basel

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Ken Done Loves Gurigurang #1
100cm x 100cm
Acrylic paint on linen
VOLTA - Art Basel

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Ken Done Loves Gurigurang #2
100cm x 100cm
Acrylic paint on linen
VOLTA - Art Basel

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Ken Done Loves Gurigurang #3
100cm x 100cm
Acrylic paint on linen
VOLTA - Art Basel

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Ken Done Loves Gurigurang #4
100cm x 100cm
Acrylic paint on linen
VOLTA - Art Basel

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Ken Done Loves Neutrals
80cm x 120cm (40cm x 40cm x8 panels)
Acrylic paint on linen
This series of works questions my practice of contemporary Aboriginal fine art. It is also a nod to the 80s legend Ken Done, who has become one of Australia's most celebrated artists. His use of colour and extensive documentation of Sydney (the land of my Gadigal ancestors) is a gift to all who know this special place. The motifs in each of my works refer to the typography of the landscape. These works are meant to be dreamt of.
VOLTA - Art Basel

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Ngura Mawa - Volta @ Art Basel (Basel, 2026)

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