A new exhibition exploring the strength and continuation of Indigenous fibre art will open at Umbrella Studio Contemporary Arts next month in partnership with the North Australian Festival of Arts (NAFA).

'Woven Together: Undivided We Rise' is curated by Gangulu woman Sabrina-Rose Toby and features newly commissioned works by Aunty Rosalind Sailor, Kim Ah Sam, Clare Jaque Vasquez, Erica Muriata, Jaeda Lenoy, Michona Warria and Jayme-Lee Harley.

Spanning sculptural forms, woven vessels and a collaborative installation, the exhibition brings together work developed through a national weaving and cultural exchange.

The five-day gathering, hosted by Umbrella on Manbarra and Wulgurukaba Countries, involved 28 artists and four curators from across Australia, including weavers from Maningrida and remote and regional communities.

It was conceptualised by Orpheus Island Traditional Owner and artist Gail Mabo, in collaboration with Freja Carmichael, a Ngugi woman and curator from the Quandamooka People of Moreton Bay.

Ms Toby said the works emerge from a sustained act of cultural and creative exchange.

"Each fibre holds wisdom, each stitch carries legacy," she said.

"This is not simply a collection of fibre works.

"It is a curatorial framework shaped by care; a collective undertaking that speaks to cultural continuation and shared strength."

The gathering included yarning circles, on-Country workshops, collection visits and discussions around Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP), laying the foundation for what has since become an ongoing national network of cultural and professional exchange.

Curators from institutions such as the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA) and the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA) also took part, positioning regional spaces as sites of national dialogue around fibre practice, curatorial leadership and the politics of place.

The exhibition resists separating art from community and instead centres process, relationship and responsibility.

It affirms the endurance of matriarchal knowledge systems and Indigenous ways of being that exist outside dominant timelines or definitions of authorship.

A public artist and curator panel discussion will be held at 10am on Saturday 20 September, offering insight into the cultural significance of weaving and the stories embedded in the works.

'Woven Together: Undivided We Rise' will run from 19 September to 2 November 2025.

It is presented as a relaxed exhibition with sensory considerations in place to ensure accessibility.

The exhibition runs alongside Mere Porvaj [I am remembering] by Shavanjani Lal.

More information is available on the Umbrella website.