Brook Andrew, Polemics, 2000. Neon, mirror, transparent synthetic polymer resin, 172.5 × 102.3cm. Gift of the artist, 2002. Photo: Christian Markel. Courtesy: the artist, the The Ian Potter Centre and the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne.

From October, the ground floor of The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia, Fed Square will be home to Wurrdha Marra, a new dynamic and ever-changing exhibition space dedicated to displaying masterpieces and new works from the NGV’s First Nations art and design collection.

Wurrdha Marra means ‘Many Mobs’ in the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung language and is the name newly bestowed upon this gallery space by the Wurundjeri Council. Wurrdha Marra showcases work from emerging to senior artists from different time periods and regions, including Tony Albert, Treahna Hamm, Kent Morris, Marlene Gilson, Rover Thomas, Christian Thompson, Gary Lee, Nicole Monks, Gali Yalkarriwuy, Dhambit Mununggurr, Nonggirrnga Marawili and more.

Traversing the ground floor and foyer of The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia, Wurrdha Marra includes a number of new and never-before-shown works across a vast array of media. Wurrdha Marra celebrates the diversity of First Nations art and design through a series of visual dialogues and juxtapositions from many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities around the Country.

Highlights include a large-scale display of ten an-gujechiya (fish traps) produced by Burrara women from Maningrida. These objects are meticulously crafted over several weeks using mirlarl vine sourced from the bush. The vine is soaked to soften it before being woven into rings, forming the trap’s conical shape. Weaving styles are often passed down from generation to generation, or from senior artist to apprentice, with each weaver adding their own personal touch and interpretation to the craft. In this way, weaving is both a powerful tool for self-expression as well as a sustainable practice of cultural preservation.