“Moving and inspiring.” 

“A beautiful blend of old and new. The connection to land and history is strong and wonderfully presented.” 

“Such a beautiful, powerful, and educational exhibition. Curated beautifully and proudly. Amazing work.” 

These are just a few of the reflections shared by visitors to Bulaan Buruugaa Ngali Exhibition, a touring exhibition that has stirred audiences in Grafton and Tweed Heads. Now, the exhibition will conclude its celebrated regional tour at Lismore Regional Gallery, opening today (13 September). 

A major cultural homecoming, the exhibition brings together nine ancestral woven objects—returned to Country from the Australian Museum—with ten newly commissioned works by contemporary Bundjalung, Yaegl, Gumbaynggirr and Kamilaroi (Gamilaroi) artists. For many visitors, it offers a rare opportunity to connect with ancestral belongings made by their grandmothers, great-grandmothers and Elders. 

Curated by Bundjalung artist Kylie Caldwell and presented by Arts Northern Rivers, the project is a continuation of cultural reclamation, collective storytelling and community care. 

“The Bulaan Buruugaa Ngali Exhibition, a unique and unprecedented local Bundjalung exhibition that celebrates women's stories from ancient to contemporary forms, is sadly on its last leg of the tour,” says Caldwell.

“It is the last chance to see the outstanding, dexterous skills of our Bundjalung ancestral weavers. We are impressed with the warm embrace from both Grafton and Tweed Heads community members, whose strong support and appreciation have been instrumental in making this exhibition a success.” 

Lismore Regional Gallery Director Ashleigh Ralph adds, “Welcoming the Bulaan Buruugaa Ngali Exhibition to Lismore feels like the closing of a circle. As the final stop on its powerful journey across Bundjalung Country, this exhibition offers our community a meaningful opportunity to engage with cultural knowledge that is both ancestral and present. We are honoured to host these significant works—held in the care of the Australian Museum—and through them, reflect on resilience, memory, and the enduring strength of living culture.” 

The exhibition features artists Bindimu, Casino Wake Up Time, Janelle Duncan, Madeleine Grace, Lauren Jarrett, Tania Marlowe, Bianca Monaghan, Krystal Randall, Rhoda Roberts AO, Kyra Togo, and Margaret Torrens, each contributing a contemporary fibre work that draws from ancient traditions while speaking to present-day identity and connection to Country. 

The Lismore season also arrives at a moment of momentum for several of the exhibiting artists. Curator Kylie Caldwell has recently been selected by the Aboriginal Regional Arts Alliance (ARAA) as one of five leading regional artists to present at the 2025 Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair (DAAF). This marks a significant moment of national recognition not only for Caldwell herself, but also for NSW First Nations artists more broadly, as ARAA and the Aboriginal Culture, Heritage & Arts Association (ACHAA) bring a strong NSW Mob presence to DAAF for the first time. 

Meanwhile, exhibiting artist Bindimu is presenting her first solo exhibition, NUMBUH, at Lone Goat Gallery in Byron Bay (16 August – 13 September). This striking new body of work extends her exploration of woven forms, culture and connection to place. For the Lismore iteration of Bulaan Buruugaa Ngali Exhibition, Bindimu has also created a new sound work; Ngali Yanbala – a sonic reflection of weaving that sings the ancestral objects home, featuring sounds of gathering fibres and weaving on country, as an ode to the skills passed down from Bundjalung foremothers.   

Among the works on display are Slumber Party 2022, a collaborative piece by Casino Wake Up Time originally commissioned by the 23rd Biennale of Sydney and Create Australia, as well as their newly completed public woven artwork at Gold Coast Airport. 

Lismore-based arts and cultural leader Rhoda Roberts AO describes weaving as more than an artform, but a continuum. A practicing weaver, festival director, curator, writer and broadcaster, Roberts has also contributed a work to the exhibition. Her piece, Continuous Persistence, is made from Lomandra grass harvested on Country.

“Weaving is more than art; it’s an essence of the circular rhythm, something continuous, crafted from the provisions of Country,” Roberts says.

(Continuous Persistence, Rhoda Roberts AO. Photo: Chloe Van Dorp)

Extending this practice into the public realm, Roberts will join Aunty Janelle Duncan and Tania Marlowe to lead a weaving workshop during the exhibition opening event, inviting the community to experience the ancient practice firsthand. 

The Bulaan Buruugaa Ngali Exhibition and accompanying book are a community-led project that honours First Nations women’s weaving traditions and cultural reclamation. Roy Gordan was instrumental in providing Bundjalung Language translation associated with weaving throughout the publication, giving the title of both the book and the exhibition, and a glossary of words for language continuation.

By sharing interwoven stories across three regional galleries, the exhibition plays a vital role in preserving and celebrating an unbroken lineage of ancestral knowledge.