The Blue Mountains Cultural Centre in Katoomba will exhibit four significant works on loan from the national collection.

Still image from Poles Apart by r e a, showing a woman dressed in long black gown running through a wooded area.
irn:198432, 2010.143. r e a. PolesApart 2009 (still) single channel moving image, colour, silent, 6 mins 55 secs National Gallery of Australia, Kamberrii/Canberra Purchased 2010 © r e a 2010.143

The piece include four video works of art by female First Nations artists and will be on display for two years from 15 December 2023 as part of a new exhibition Ngurra Bayala (Country speaks).

The works have been selected in consultation with local Dharug curator and artist Leanne Tobin and include:

  • Bliss by Fiona Foley
  • Hunting Ground (Haunted) and (Pastoral), Van Diemen's Land by Julie Gough and Angus Ashton
  • Poles Apart by r e a
  • Toponymic interventions #3 by Megan Cope.

They will take pride of place alongside video artworks by local Blue Mountains artists Aunty Sharyn Halls (with Craig Bender and Vera Hong), Jo Clancy (with Sue Healey) and Leanne Tobin.

The Australian Government is delivering $11.8 million over four years to the Sharing the National Collection initiative, supporting the National Gallery of Australia to share some of the country's much-loved art works with regional and suburban galleries and cultural institutions across Australia. The initiative is part of the Government's National Cultural Policy, Revive.

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