Terra Nostra (translated as “Our Land”) is a powerful group exhibition curated by Makayla Dass, bringing together leading and emerging First Nations artists to assert sovereignty, presence, and resistance.
Responding to James Cook’s 1770 voyage and the colonial violence that followed, the exhibition confronts the enduring impact of dispossession justified through the doctrine of Terra Nullius. Through diverse practices, the artists challenge this false narrative, affirming that Aboriginal land was never empty—and never ceded.
Featuring works by Vernon Ah Kee, Tony Albert, Richard Bell, Darren Blackman, Jade Hartley, Krystal Hurst, Beth Thompson, Jude Thorn, and Serinah Williams, the exhibition spans generations of critical First Nations voices. Together, these artists examine histories of colonisation while powerfully asserting cultural continuity, identity, and self-determination.
Grounded in truth-telling and resistance, Terra Nostra stands as both a declaration and a reminder: this always was, and always will be, Aboriginal land.
Celebration Event:
16 April 2026, 5–7pm
Image: Darren Blackman, Fear, 2023, Courtesy of Onespace.
