Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts will open its Season 2 program this April with the Australian debut of All That Country Holds, a major exhibition bringing together 10 senior artists from across the Kimberley in a powerful homecoming presentation.
PICA has been presenting cutting-edge contemporary art since 1989. Its mission is to nurture artists and audiences through creative risk-taking, collaboration and critical exchange.
Running from April 19 to June 14, PICA's Season 2 program centres the power of First Nations art and storytelling through All That Country Holds, alongside the return of the REVEALED: New and Emerging WA Aboriginal Artists exhibition presented at PICA under the custodianship of the Aboriginal Art Centre Hub of WA (AACHWA).
Jointly, these exhibitions showcase the work of over 100 Aboriginal artists from across Western Australia,
The Australian debut of All That Country Holds follows the exhibition's world premiere in Washington DC in late 2025.
Arriving at PICA in April, the works will now be presented publicly in Australia for the first time, offering local audiences and the artists' communities the opportunity to experience these remarkable works on home soil.
Curated by Noongar woman Zali Morgan, with curatorial and cultural guidance from Lynley Nargoodah and Dora Griffiths, and presented by Kimberley Aboriginal Art and Culture (KAAC), All That Country Holds features 42 artworks of various media that reflect the richness and diversity of six Kimberley art centres.
Deeply connected to the Country on which the artists have lived and worked, the exhibition brings together new works shaped by experience, memory and enduring connection to place.
Developed through an initiative designed to support artists to expand their practice and explore new creative capabilities, the exhibition includes works by Ben Galmirri Ward, Angelina Boona Karadada, Mervyn Street, Evelyn Malgil, Jan Gunjaka Griffiths, Miriam Baadjo, Leah Umbagai, Marylou Orliyarli Divilli, Pauline Sunfly, and John Prince Siddon.
PICA chief executive officer Hannah Mathews said presenting All That Country Holds alongside REVEALED in Season 2 offers audiences an opportunity to witness the powerful innovation and intergenerational continuity that is taking place in First Nations artistic practice in Western Australia.
"Bringing All That Country Holds together with REVEALED at PICA creates a powerful dialogue between emerging and established First Nations artists, tracing not only the strength of contemporary practice in Western Australia, but the pathways that make artistic growth possible," she said.
"This season is also shaped by the generous support of the Ungar Family Foundation, our inaugural Season Patron. Their commitment to fostering creativity, cultural understanding and meaningful community impact echoes the very principles that underpin these exhibitions.
"Artists like Mary-Lou Orliyarli Divilli embody that journey, having previously exhibited as an emerging artist in REVEALED and now returning to PICA as an established artist featured in All That Country Holds.
"Her inclusion is a reminder of why sustained investment in artist development, mentorship and opportunity matters, and of the extraordinary outcomes that can emerge when artists are supported to expand their practice over time," said Mathews.
Ms Morgan said All That Country Holds is grounded in stories of labour, memory, survival and sovereignty, as the exhibition reflects the interconnected nature of life on Country.
"All That Country Holds is a powerful exhibition exploring the Kimberley Country through each artist's perspective," she said.
"For many, their knowledge of place has been shaped by years spent working as stockmen and cattle workers, moving across and caring for land in ways that inform a distinctly lived visual language.
"These are stories carried through experience — and now shared through their art," said Morgan."
PICA's Season 2 program is set to become Western Australia's most significant presentations of contemporary First Nations art this year, with more than 200 works from over 100 artists, bringing emerging voices into dialogue with senior Kimberley artists and Elders.
The season will open with a free public launch on Friday 17 April with PICA After Hours from 6-8pm.
The event will feature a live performance by the Kallum Mungulu Band, whose songs draw on Country, community and everyday life, inspired by Mowanjum community, Saltwater Country and time spent out bush.
The opening event will be followed by a vibrant day of cultural celebration on Saturday the 18th of April with Weekends at PICA.
This free program from 10am-3pm features a Magabala Books shop takeover, breakfast yarns led by Zali Morgan, hands‑on artist workshops in silk painting and block printing and insightful floor talks with First Nations artists from across Western Australia.
For more fashion, beauty and lifestyle news, subscribe for free to the Style Up newsletter.
