July 11 to August 21, 2026
D Lan Galleries, 40 Exhibition St, MelbourneTuesday–Friday 10am–5pm Saturday 11am–4pm
Building upon the success of our inaugural exhibition, D Lan Galleries will present the second iteration of Bark Masters in July 2026. This exhibition seeks to shed light on the lives and artistic contributions of the cultural custodians behind one of the world’s oldest continuous art forms.
Aboriginal bark paintings have often been the foundation of many of the great private collections of Australian First Nations art. The growing global interest in this unique medium reflects a deepening appreciation for their value as sophisticated manifestations of cultural knowledge.Bark Masters 2026 will again highlight the work of some of the finest practitioners of this rare artistic tradition. Accompanying paintings on bark, will be three-dimensional figures and memorial poles, revealing the ways in which artists have employed different mediums to express cultural narratives and ceremonial knowledge. This expanded presentation demonstrates the interconnected nature of artistic practice across different physical forms all with their own unique place in the Indigenous art canon.
Mathaman Marika
Minyaba - Bremer Island
c. 1958
Earth pigments on bark
113 x 42.5 cm