Ngarn Wa’ngal: Art of the gum tree

Major new exhibition Ngarn Wa’ngal: Art of the gum tree explores this most iconic tree as a source of creative inspiration across colonial, twentieth century and contemporary practice, and includes five significant new artist commissions.
Taking its title from the Woi Wurrung language — Ngarn wa’ngal, meaning “breathing for us” – the exhibition reflects the deep cultural and ecological significance of the gum tree as both a living presence and a powerful symbolic force.
Senior Curator Grimwade Collection Alisa Bunbury says: “Ngarn Wa’ngal encourages us to reflect upon the fundamental role of eucalypts in our society and within Australia’s natural and built environments.”

Image: Hans Heysen, Red hills of Aroona, Flinders Ranges 1933, watercolour on paper. The University of Melbourne Art Collection. Gift of Dr Samuel Arthur Ewing 1938 © Hans Heysen/Copyright Agency