The Stars Before Us All | Washington, D.C.

Michael Reid Sydney + Berlin is thrilled to present The Stars Before Us All: Australian First Nations Art – an expansive exhibition in Washington, D.C. that brings together new and collectible work by more than 20 luminddaries of contemporary Australian First Nations art.

The Stars Before Us All is showing from October 15 to November 10 at Michael Reid Galleries’ temporary exhibition space at 1717 K St NW, Washington, D.C. (1000 Connecticut Ave NW building) in the U.S. capital’s downtown Golden Triangle district. The exhibition will be celebrated with a public opening reception on Saturday, October 18, 3:00–5:00 PM, inviting the D.C. arts community, collectors, visitors and Golden Triangle residents to experience the here-and-now of Australian First Nations art.

With a focus on living, practicing artists – whose extraordinary work continues cultural traditions on a continuum spanning 65,000 years – The Stars Before Us All echoes the work of the National Gallery of Victoria, whose concurrent exhibition, The Stars We Do Not See, begins its two-year North American tour at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Curated by Myles Russell-Cook, the NGV’s ambitious show is the largest presentation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art ever staged outside Australia, representing a watershed moment for First Nations artists on the world stage. Michael Reid Galleries’ concurrent presentation, The Stars Before Us All, meets this moment with a dazzling and diverse collection of more than 30 works by many of the most important and acclaimed voices in Australian contemporary art.

“The Stars Before Us All opens a window into an extraordinary contemporary art tradition,” says our founder and chairman, Michael Reid OAM. “It reveals a culture that, after millennia of relative isolation, has in the last two decades burst onto the global stage, offering audiences not only works of great aesthetic power but also a vision of art as continuity, survival, renewal and growth. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art is not just Australia’s unique addition to the art world. It is among the world’s oldest, deepest, most original and ever-evolving art traditions.”

“The Stars Before Us All marks a major milestone – not just for our gallery, but for Australian art more broadly,” says Michael Reid Galleries director Toby Meagher. “To present these extraordinary First Nations artists in Washington, D.C., alongside a landmark National Gallery of Victoria touring exhibition, underscores the growing global significance of Indigenous voices in contemporary art.”

The Stars Before Us All marks the United States debut for many of the show’s stars, including Yolŋu artist Gaypalani Wanambi, recipient of the $100,000 Telstra Art Award at this year’s Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards (NATSIAA). Joining Wanambi are many of her fellow NATSIAA alumni, including Kuninjku artist Owen Yalandja; Pitjantjatjara artist Timo Hogan; and Ngan’gikurrungurr painter, master weaver and cultural leader Regina Pilawuk Wilson, who is traveling to the United States for the occasion and will join us as the guest of honor at our opening celebration on Saturday, October 18.

For all inquiries, please email tobymeagher@michaelreid.com.au or hughholm@michaelreid.com.au