Buku Art Centre

Richard Lewer, Marrnyula Munuŋgurr, Gutiŋarra Yunupiŋu, and Carol Puruntatameri announced as FINALISTS in the Archibald & Wynne Art Prizes
30
Apr

Richard Lewer, Marrnyula Munuŋgurr, Gutiŋarra Yunupiŋu, and Carol Puruntatameri announced as FINALISTS in the Archibald & Wynne Art Prizes

We are thrilled to share that Richard Lewer has been announced as a finalist in the Archibald Art Prize with his portrait of Pitjantjatjara Elder and artist Iluwanti Ken. We also celebrate the inclusion of Marrnyula Munuŋgurr, Gutiŋarra Yunupiŋu, and Carol Puruntatameri as finalists in the Wynne Art Prize.'


Richard Lewer, Iluwanti Ken, 2026, synthetic polymer paint on canvas, 198 x 198 cm, photography by Christian Capurro

About his work Richard shares: “In person, Iluwanti is a small woman, but she carries immense, quiet authority. I painted her life size, so her presence meets the viewer directly. The yellow ochre background holds the intensity of the heat and light we were working in. She loves bright clothing, which feels inseparable from her spirit, and the traces of paint on her arm acknowledge her as a working artist, as if she has just stepped out of the studio.”


Marrnyula Munuŋgurr, Dhawurr, 2025, natural pigment on bark, 194 x 87 cm

Marrnyula Munuŋgurr and Gutiŋarra Yunupiŋu’s finalist artworks were exhibited at Hugo Michell Gallery as part of the 2025 Tarnanthi Festival in the exhibition ‘Wäŋa as Muse’, which featured works by a group of artists from Buku-Larrnggay Mulka Centre, each with a unique way of depicting the identity of the land which inspires them.


Gutiŋarra Yunupiŋu, Buymarr homeland, 2025, natural pigment on bark, 107 x 80 cm, photography by Sam Roberts

We look forward to presenting a solo exhibition by Carol Puruntatameri at Hugo Michell Gallery from 12 November - 10 December 2026.



Carol Puruntatameri, Yipali and Purrukupali, 2025, natural pigment on bark, 166.5 x 90 x 30 cm, courtesy of Munupi Arts

An exhibition of finalist artworks will be presented from 9 May to 16 August 2026 at the Art Gallery of New South Wales in the Naala Nura building.


Artist Talks | Binygurr Wirrpanda | Josina Pumani
09
Oct

Artist Talks | Binygurr Wirrpanda | Josina Pumani

Hugo Michell Gallery invites you to join us for our artist talks in celebration of the current Tarnanthi Festival exhibitions. Artist talks to be held on Saturday 18th October 1-3pm.

Hear from Binygurr Wirrpanda on behalf of the ‘Wäŋa as Muse’ artists. David Wickens to facilitate. Please also join us to hear Josina Pumani speak about her solo exhibition 'Maralinga – Ngayuku Walytjaku Tjukurpa (My Family’s Story)'. Sandra Pumani to facilitate.
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‘Wäŋa as Muse’ brings together five Yolŋu artists from The Buku-Larrŋgay Mulka Art Centre; Manini Gumana, Napunda Marawili, Marrnyula Munuŋgurr, Binygurr Wirrpanda and Gutiŋarra Yunupiŋu. This exhibition features the innovative works of a group of artists who have each developed a unique way of depicting the identity of the land which inspires them.
Works presented are a living testament to the Yolŋu people’s enduring relationship with their spiritual and physical birthplace and an invitation to see the land not as a passive object, but as a sentient, living, active, sacred force.
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Josina Pumani’s ceramic vessels and paintings tell the story of the Maralinga bomb testing undertaken in the 1950-60s. Pumani explores this lasting physical and mental impact on Country and Aṉangu people, using vibrant colour and patterned spiralling cylindrical forms. Currently working out of the APY Art Centre Collective, Pumani was born in Mimili.
These exhibitions are presented as part of the Art Gallery of South Australia's 2025 Tarnanthi Festival of Contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Art.
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Hugo Michell Gallery are proud to partner with Bird in Hand Winery for this opening event.
SYDNEY CONTEMPORARY ART FAIR
09
Sep

SYDNEY CONTEMPORARY ART FAIR

We are thrilled to be participating in Sydney Contemporary Art Fair, presented at Carriageworks from 11-14 September 2025!
Hugo Michell Gallery brings four distinct Australian voices together at Sydney Contemporary, with new works by Richard Lewer, William Mackinnon, Georgia Spain, and Garawan Wanambi. Their practice spans memory, identity, and landscape, each offering a unique lens on the world.
Lewer’s series on Jesus’ miracles explores faith through layered acrylics. Mackinnon presents large, psychological landscapes that blend memory and symbolism. Spain debuts emotive abstract paintings inspired by ritual and spectacle, while Wanambi showcases ancestral larrakitj poles and bark paintings that honour sea Country.
The works are personal, political, and spiritual, forming a compelling and layered presentation.
Preview requests to mail@hugomichellgallery.com
Richard Lewer in the studio with 'The Miracles', 2025, photography by Christian Cappuro
William Mackinnon, Going under/ autumn, 2025, acrylic, oil and automotive enamel on linen, 200 x 150 cm
Georgia Spain in the studio with new work for Sydney Contemporary Art Fair, photography by Oscar Lush
 
Garawan Wanambi, Marraŋu (1484 25), 2025, natural pigment with synthetic polymer fixative on Stringybark hollow pole, 204.5 x 25 cm