Australia and the Gondwana Rainforest are being represented in Japan by Bundjalung artists participating in the 24th JAALA Biennial at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum.
Female artists from across the Bundjalung Nation are presenting a group exhibition titled 'Kalan', which means "point" in their language.
The exhibition highlights Bundjalung Doobay Plant Art and the role of women's work in growing and sustaining culture, alongside native plants from the rainforest and surrounding ecosystems.
The group was invited by cyberTribe, a self-funded Indigenous arts initiative, to contribute to the JAALA Biennial which has supported international artist-led exhibitions since 1977.
Featured artists include Maria van Neerven, Sandy Greenwood, Val Smith (Widjabul Wiabal), and members of the Bundjalung Tribal Society.
The exhibition is curated by Migunburri woman Jenny Fraser.
Yugumbeh poet, Maria van Neerven based in Magandjin, explores colonisation, racism, family and mental health in her writing.
"Growing-up in a large Indigenous family we had to deal with these issues daily," she said.
Her poem 'Kalan' is featured in the show and lends its name to the exhibition.
Gumbaynggirr, Dunghutti and Bundjalung actress and artist, Sandy Greenwood, describes her work as grounded in activism, education and cultural healing.
"I believe in the power of nature and storytelling to heal our mind, body and spirit," she said.
Val Smith is a Widjabul Wiabal woman from Lismore whose artworks reflect her life from childhood to motherhood.
"I have chosen to paint some of the common Bundjalung Bush Tucker flowers and plants," she said.
"They are still used today in medicine and cooking and are now a way to connect to our ancestors and traditions."
The Bundjalung Tribal Society, established in 1975, supports community through land rights, housing, and cultural programs.
Namabunda Farm, a key initiative, brings together traditional knowledge and healing practices.
Artist-curator, Mrs Fraser, works across digital and screen-based arts.
She is currently focused on healing practices involving plant medicine and cultural revitalisation.
A documentary titled 'Durangen' featuring the six Bundjalung women and their 2023 group exhibition will also be screened at JAALA.
"After exhibiting in the JAALA Biennial from 2023 we continued on and made this film at home in Australia to show our lives, and now screen in Japan for the first time at JAALA 2025 - a full circle moment," Ms Fraser said.
The exhibition marks the seventh time Aboriginal artists have been invited to JAALA and curated by Dr Fraser, marking a long-standing cultural exchange.
The 'Kalan' collection includes painting, photography, film and poetry, centring on traditional plant use and matriarchal knowledge from the Bundjalung Nation.
Founded as a response to Western dominance in Japanese art, JAALA also has historical ties to the Asian Women's Association, formed by artists including Tomiyama Taeko to resist colonialism, exploitation and political repression through collaborative artistic expression.