Kaiela Arts Aboriginal art centre has announced Norm Yakaduna Stewart as the artist for its 2026 Kaiela Arts Editions release, created in collaboration with Melbourne studio Spacecraft.
Kaiela Arts Editions, run by the centre on Yorta Yorta Country in Shepparton, expands creative and commercial opportunities for First Nations artists, building on the success of the program's inaugural edition in 2025 with internationally acclaimed artist Maree Clarke.
The 2026 release features an exclusive limited edition of 40 hand-printed works on archival paper and 10 silkscreen prints on glass by Stewart, an acclaimed Kwat Kwat, Wurundjeri, Yalaba Yalaba and Moira artist.
The release will be celebrated with public launch events at Kaiela Arts on November 26 and Spacecraft in Melbourne on December 5, and will be on view at Kaiela Arts from November 26 to December 23.
Works will be available exclusively through the Kaiela Arts gallery and online, with proceeds supporting Kaiela Arts' artist programs and community-led cultural practice.
This edition draws on The Blow Hole, a culturally significant place near Tocumwal (in southern New South Wales), where water flows and bubbles through a granite outcrop when the Murray River is low.
Through the work, Stewart brings together Country, cultural story and the distinctive contemporary practice he has developed under the name of his great-great-grandfather, Yakaduna, also known as Tommy McRae.
"The Blow Hole near Tocumwal is a significant Aboriginal site shared by Ulupna and Kwat Kwat Traditional Owners. Our Elders tell us that our creator Biami, represented by the snake, entered the underworld there, carving the caverns and tunnel systems," Stewart said.
"When Dhungala—the Murray River—is low, the Blow Hole bubbles. This is Biami's spirit moving through the subterranean world.
"I painted it for this story and because its granite sinkholes hold water and support life through drought. Working with Kaiela Arts and Spacecraft to bring the design into two-colour prints on paper and glass has given the work a new form. Without that collaboration, it would never have happened."
Kaiela Arts curator Chloe Jones described Stewart as "a deeply respected artist, storyteller, caretaker and teacher whose practice makes an important contribution to the cultural story of south-east Australia".
"Following Maree Clarke's inaugural release, this second Kaiela Arts Editions collaboration continues the program's commitment to creating ambitious new opportunities for First Nations artists while bringing their work to wider audiences and collectors," she said.
Stewart works across painting, drawing, woodcarving and cultural belongings. He creates on Country at his home in Barmah, near the Cummeragunja Sandhills, sustaining family and community stories, cultural knowledge and connections to Country.
His vivid practice is both contemporary and grounded in the traditions and mark-making carried through the work of Yakaduna.
Produced with Spacecraft, the 2026 release continues Kaiela Arts Editions' focus on collaborative printmaking, artistic development and sustainable creative and commercial pathways for First Nations artists.
Kaiela Arts Editions is supported by the Indigenous Visual Arts Industry Support program, Creative Victoria and Greater Shepparton City Council, strengthening truth-telling, intergenerational practice and the revitalisation of south-east Australian Aboriginal art.
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