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NGA Art Talks

National Gallery of Australia

From the National Gallery of Australia, NGA Art Talks connects you to the artists, creatives and ideas shaping culture today. 


Find out more at nga.gov.au

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  • 25 episodes
  • Avg 26 min
  • English

Episodes 25

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  • October 30 · 33 min

    The Gleeson Tapes: Lesley Dumbrell

    NGA Art Talks: The Gleeson Tapes is a new series revisiting key conversations from the James Gleeson Oral History Collection. In the late 1970s, before the National Gallery of Australia opened its doors, the surrealist artist and writer James Gleeson set out across Australia with a microphone and a mission: to build an oral history archive that captured the stories behind key works of art in the national collection, told by the artists themselves. In this episode Gleeson speaks with Melbourne-born artist Lesley Dumbrell. Dumbrell emerged as a key figure in Melbourne’s contemporary art scene from the late 1960s onwards, creating abstract, geometric paintings and contributing to the Australian Women’s Art Movement in the 1970s. Their conversation touches on Dumbrell’s many works of art held in the national collection, including Ripple 1972 and February 1976. You can view Lesley Dumbrell’s work in the collection display Know My Name: Global, on display at the National Gallery until April 2027. Subscribe via your favourite podcast app or listen online. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • October 20 · 25 min

    The Gleeson Tapes: Rosalie Gascoigne

    NGA Art Talks: The Gleeson Tapes is a new series revisiting key conversations from the James Gleeson Oral History Collection. In the late 1970s, before the National Gallery of Australia opened its doors, the surrealist artist and writer James Gleeson set out across Australia with a microphone and a mission: to build an oral history archive that captured the stories behind key works of art in the national collection, told by the artists themselves. In this episode Gleeson speaks with Rosalie Gascoigne, an artist whose sculptural assemblages reveal the beauty of discarded and everyday objects, and reflect both the extremes and nuances of the Australian landscape. Gascoigne tells Gleeson about the joys of collecting, and finding unexpected beauty and connections in the ordinary objects other people might throw away. The major retrospective Rosalie Gascoigne is on display at the National Gallery from 24 Oct 2026 – 14 Feb 2027. Subscribe via your favourite podcast app or listen online. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • October 7 · 31 min

    The Gleeson Tapes: Inge King

    NGA Art Talks: The Gleeson Tapes is a new podcast series revisiting key conversations from the James Gleeson Oral History Collection. In the late 1970s, before the National Gallery of Australia opened its doors, the surrealist artist and writer James Gleeson set out across Australia with a microphone and a mission: to build an oral history archive that captured the stories behind key works of art in the national collection, told by the artists themselves. In this episode Gleeson reunites with the German-born sculptor Inge King, who he first encountered decades earlier in post-war England. The pair reflect on King's extraordinary and enduring contribution to sculpture in her adopted home, Australia, and her signature mode of sculptural abstraction that can be seen in monumental public sculptures across the country. You can view Inge King’s work in the National Sculpture Garden and the exhibition Migration and Modernism: Émigré artists in post-war Australia, on display at the National Gallery until March 2027. Subscribe via your favourite podcast app or listen online. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • #2
    September 29 · 37 min

    The Gleeson Tapes: Grace Crowley

    In the late 1970s, before the National Gallery of Australia opened its doors, the surrealist artist and writer James Gleeson set out across Australia with a microphone and a mission: to build an oral history archive that captured the stories behind key works of art in the national collection, told by the artists themselves. This month, the National Gallery launches NGA Art Talks: The Gleeson Tapes, a podcast series revisiting key conversations from the James Gleeson Oral History Collection. In this episode Gleeson visits Grace Crowley, one of the leading figures in modern art in Australia. We meet Crowley in her late 80s, and as the tape starts rolling, she takes us from her childhood memories in regional Australia, to France, where she received on-the-ground training in modern European art. Crowley also shares an endearing portrait of her relationships with the artists Anne Dangar, with whom she made the leap from Sydney to Paris in 1926, and Ralph Balson, who was her close collaborator until his death in 1964. Just seven months after Gleeson’s visit, Crowley passed away at the age of 88, making this recording a poignant and final testimony from one of Australia’s greatest modernists. Subscribe via your favourite podcast app or listen online. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • #1
    September 29 · 20 min

    The Gleeson Tapes: Introduction

    In the late 1970s, before the National Gallery of Australia opened its doors, the surrealist artist and writer James Gleeson set out across Australia with a microphone and a mission: to build an oral history archive that captured the stories behind key works of art in the national collection, told by the artists themselves. This month, the National Gallery launches NGA Art Talks: The Gleeson Tapes, a podcast series revisiting key conversations from the James Gleeson Oral History Collection. To reintroduce listeners to Gleeson and his work, Professor Lisa Slade, Hugh Ramsay Chair in Australian Art History at the University of Melbourne and guest presenter of The Gleeson Tapes, speaks with Dr. Jeremy Eaton, an artist, writer and curator based in Naarm/Melbourne who has spent years studying the life and work of James Gleeson. Subscribe via your favourite podcast app or listen online. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • July 6 · 44 min

    2026 Betty Churcher Memorial Oration: Quincy Houghton

    Join Quincy Houghton, Deputy Director for Exhibitions and International Initiatives at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, as we revisit this year’s Betty Churcher AO Memorial Oration, recorded live at the National Gallery for International Women’s Day in March 2026. Since 2022 this major annual event has honoured the legacy of Betty Churcher AO (1931–2015), a trailblazing Australian arts administrator and the first and only woman to lead the National Gallery. In this talk Houghton draws on her three decades of experience shaping exhibitions at two of the world’s greatest museums – the J. Paul Getty Museum and The Met – while reflecting on her own personal journey and the evolving role of art galleries around the world at large. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • March 13 · 25 min

    After the Rain: Family and Legacy

    In this episode of NGA Art Talks, hear highlights from the opening weekend of the 5th National Indigenous Art Triennial: After the Rain. Recorded outdoors in front of a live audience, Kamilaroi man and award-winning television and podcast host Matty Mills leads two panels exploring themes of Family and Legacy. These conversations featured Vincent Namatjira, Western Aranda people; Vanessa Inkamala, Western Aranda people, and Carita Coulthard, Luritja/Pitjantjara/Western Aranda peoples, from Iltja Ntjarra Art Centre; Thea Anamara Perkins, Arrernte/Kalkadoon peoples; Alair Pambegan, Wik-Mungkan people; Naminapu Maymuru-White and Bithar Maymuru, Maŋgalili people; and After the Rain curator Tony Albert, Girramay/Yidinji/Kuku-Yalanji peoples. The 5th National Indigenous Art Triennial: After the Rain is on display at the National Gallery until 27 April 2026. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • March 13 · 27 min

    After the Rain: Cleansing and Transformation

    In this episode of NGA Art Talks, hear highlights from the opening weekend of the 5th National Indigenous Art Triennial: After the Rain. Recorded outdoors in front of a live audience, Kamilaroi man and award-winning television and podcast host Matty Mills leads two panels exploring themes of Cleansing and Transformation. These conversations featured Jimmy John Thaiday, Kuz/Peiudu peoples; Erin McDonald, Mandandanji people, and Troy Casey, Kamilaroi people, from Blaklash; Dylan Mooney, Yuwi people, Zenadth Kes/Torres Strait and South Sea Islander; Aretha Brown, Gumbaynggirr people; and Warraba Weatherall, Kamilaroi people. The 5th National Indigenous Art Triennial: After the Rain is on display at the National Gallery until 27 April 2026. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • February 23 · 24 min

    Women Photographers: Julie Rrap

    In this episode of NGA Art Talks, Anne O’Hehir, Curator of Photography at the Gallery, speaks to Julie Rrap as part of a series of conversations recorded for the exhibition, Women Photographers 1853-2018 – a celebration of how women have shaped and redefined the medium, that recognises the strength of Australian photographers in a global context. Julie Rrap, born in Lismore in 1950 and now based in Sydney, has been a central figure in Australian contemporary art for more than four decades. Emerging in the mid-1970s through body art and performance, she developed a practice that has since expanded to include photography, painting, sculpture, and video, all anchored in a sustained investigation of how the body is seen, represented, and interpreted. Her early engagement with performance laid the foundation for an oeuvre that often places her own body at the centre, using it as both subject and tool to question conventions of gender, identity, and power. Women Photographers 1853-2018 is on display at the National Gallery until 1 March 2026. This exhibition and podcast are supported by The Bowness Family Foundation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • February 23 · 23 min

    Women Photographers: Brenda L. Croft

    In this episode of NGA Art Talks, Anne O’Hehir, Curator of Photography at the Gallery, speaks to Brenda L. Croft as part of a series of conversations recorded for the exhibition, Women Photographers 1853-2018 – a celebration of how women have shaped and redefined the medium, that recognises the strength of Australian photographers in a global context. Brenda L. Croft, born in Boorloo/Perth in 1964, of the Gorindji/Malangal/Mudbora peoples, is a leading figure in Australian contemporary art and a prominent advocate within her community, recognised equally for her work as an artist, curator, writer and cultural leader. She grew up in Canberra but moved to Gadigal Nura/Sydney where she built long and important connections to the urban First Nations communities of Redfern and surrounding areas and became a founding member of the Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Cooperative in 1987. Women Photographers 1853-2018 is on display at the National Gallery until 1 March 2026. This exhibition and podcast are supported by The Bowness Family Foundation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • February 23 · 22 min

    Women Photographers: Cherine Fahd

    In this episode of NGA Art Talks, Anne O’Hehir, Curator of Photography at the Gallery, speaks to Cherine Fahd as part of a series of conversations recorded for the exhibition, Women Photographers 1853-2018 – a celebration of how women have shaped and redefined the medium, that recognises the strength of Australian photographers in a global context. Born in Gadigal Nura/Sydney in 1974, Cherine Fahd has spent over two decades developing one of Australia’s most inventive photomedia practices. Her work moves fluidly between photography, performance, text and sculpture, yet remains grounded in a deep curiosity about what happens in the photographic encounter – how identity is read, how relationships form, and how images both reveal and obscure the complexities of lived experience. Women Photographers 1853-2018 is on display at the National Gallery until 1 March 2026. This exhibition and podcast are supported by The Bowness Family Foundation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • Dec 16, 2025 · 25 min

    Christmas Special: Trent Parke and Narelle Autio

    In this episode of NGA Art Talks, Anne O’Hehir, Curator of Photography at the Gallery, speaks to Trent Parke and Narelle Autio, two of Australia’s most lauded contemporary photographers. Recorded in front of a live audience as part of the National Gallery’s Friday Art Talks program, the pair reflect on family, collaboration, and the time in their lives that created the series, The Christmas tree bucket. Trent Parke was born and raised in Mulubinba/Newcastle, New South Wales. He started taking pictures at age 12, using his mother’s Pentax Spotmatic and the family laundry as a darkroom. He began his career as a press photojournalist and, in 2007, became the first Australian to become a full member of Magnum Photos. Narelle Autio was born and raised in Tarntanya/Adelaide and is one of Australia’s most distinctive contemporary photographers, known for her explorations of landscape, leisure and family life through richly coloured, immersive images. Trent Parke: The Christmas tree bucket is on display at the National Gallery until 6 September 2026. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • Dec 8, 2025 · 24 min

    Angela Goddard on Estelle Creed

    In this episode of NGA Art Talks, Angela Goddard, writer, curator and Director of the Griffith University Art Museum, discusses the forgotten modern artist, Estelle 'Stella' Creed. Born in Gaba Gaba/Rockhampton in 1904, Estelle Creed left central Queensland for Gadigal Nura/Sydney, then to Paris and rural France to follow her ambitions to explore and learn from cutting edge artists. As a student of Anne Dangar, André Lhote and Albert Gleizes, Creed found herself immersed in a world that challenged artistic norms, fostering a bold and experimental approach to her work. In this talk, recorded in front of a live audience as part of the National Gallery’s Friday Art Talks program, Goddard shares how her research led her to unearthing Creed’s archive of surviving works and letters, and how expatriate Australian artists, especially women, were taught and influenced by modern artists in Europe in the late 1920s. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • S5 · E5
    Sep 9, 2025 · 23 min

    Artists’ Artists: Aretha Brown

    Aretha Brown is a young, queer, Blak artist. Her multidisciplinary practice is grounded in truth-telling and celebrates First Nations history, knowledge and empowerment. In 2019, Brown founded the **Kiss My Art Collective that champions young women and non-binary artists to create large-scale public murals. To date, **Kiss My Art Collective has completed more than 65 murals throughout Australia and internationally. Brown is also recognised for her graphic imagery and merchandise range including DECOLONISE YOUR SELF! Conversation Cards For The Thoughtful Ally that seek to foster awareness and real change through conversation and self- Reflection. Brown’s work is featured in the 5th National Indigenous Art Triennial: After the Rain, which opens at the National Gallery of Australia in December. Works of art discussed: Yhonnie Scarce, Kokatha/Nukunu/Mirning peoples, Glass Bomb (Blue Danube) Series I 2015, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, purchased 2016, © Courtesy of the artist & THIS IS NO FANTASY Reg Mombassa, Mambo Graphics, More a part of the landscape than a pair of trousers c 1985, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, gift of Mambo Graphics, Sydney 1989, © Reg Mombassa Tony Albert, Girramay/Yidinji/Kuku-Yalanji peoples, and Vincent Namatjira, Western Aranda people, Australia's most wanted 2018, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, purchased 2019, © Tony Albert/Copyright Agency Diego Rivera, Sueño 1932, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra Series Information: This series was produced by Audiocraft Theme Music by Ravi Gupta Segment Music is Hold Tight by Thalia Skopellos from Melodie Music 5th National Indigenous Art Triennial: After the Rain exhibition identity by Aretha Brown Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • S5 · E4
    Sep 9, 2025 · 17 min

    Artists' Artists: Dylan Mooney

    Dylan Mooney shares stories of resilience, connection and love in his highly colourful and decorated portraits of First Nations peoples. Legally blind, Mooney works primarily with digital technology, backlit screens enable him to create complex images that can be reproduced on paper, canvas or multi-story buildings. His images are informed by community stories, current affairs and share a deep optimism and pride. An early career artist, Mooney’s works are held in public collections and have been widely exhibited and illustrated, including on the cover of Rolling Stone Australia magazine. Mooney’s work is featured in the 5th National Indigenous Art Triennial: After the Rain, which opens at the National Gallery of Australia in December. Works of art discussed: Kaylene Whiskey, Yankunytjatjara people, Visitors to Iwantja Arts 2022, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, purchased 2023, © Kaylene Whiskey/ Copyright Agency Mirdidingkingathi Juwarnda Sally Gabori, Kaiadilt people, Outside Dibirdibi 2008, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, acquired with the Founding Donors 2009 Fund, © Mirdidingkingathi Juwarnda (Sally Gabori)/Copyright Agency Ken Thaiday Snr., Meriam Mer people, Whoumerr, frigate bird; dance mask 1991, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra Kara Walker, Testimony: Narrative of a Negress Burdened by Good Intentions 2004, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, purchased 2021, © Kara Walker Series Information: This series was produced by Audiocraft Theme Music by Ravi Gupta Segment Music is Hold Tight by Thalia Skopellos from Melodie Music 5th National Indigenous Art Triennial: After the Rain exhibition identity by Aretha Brown Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • S3 · E3
    Sep 9, 2025 · 19 min

    Artists' Artists: Thea Anamara Perkins

    Thea Anamara Perkins’ paintings are imbued with strength, warmth and quiet determination. Family members and the artist’s Arrernte homeland are recurring subjects, often drawn from Perkin’s familial archives that include prominent fighters for social justice and First Peoples’ rights. An early career artist, Perkins has exhibited since 2018, and her paintings are held in numerous public collections including the National Portrait Gallery. Perkins’ work is featured in the 5th National Indigenous Art Triennial: After the Rain, which opens at the National Gallery of Australia in December. Works of art discussed: Gordon Bennett, Poet 1994, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, acquired 1995, Gordon Darling Australasian Print Fund 1995, © The Estate of Gordon Bennett Michael Riley, Untitled from the series Sacrifice [palms with stigmata]1992-93, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, purchased with the assistance of the KODAK (Australasia) PTY LTD Fund 1993, Reproduced courtesy of the Michael Riley Foundation/Copyright Agency Emily Kam Kngwarray, Anmatyerr people, Alhalker - my Country1992, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, acquired 2022 Emily Kam Kngwarray, Anmatyerr people, Untitled (batik) 1981, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, purchased in 2023 in celebration of the National Gallery of Australia's 40th anniversary 2022, © Emily Kam Kngwarray/Copyright Agency Series Information: This series was produced by Audiocraft Theme Music by Ravi Gupta Segment Music is Hold Tight by Thalia Skopellos from Melodie Music 5th National Indigenous Art Triennial: After the Rain exhibition identity by Aretha Brown Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • S5 · E2
    Sep 9, 2025 · 22 min

    Artists' Artists: Warraba Weatherall

    Warraba Weatherall is an artist, lecturer and cultural scholar. His research-led practice seeks to regenerate Kamilaroi knowledge systems and critique museum and archival practices. Weatherall’s sculptures and installations appear minimal yet open complex dialogues on surveillance, incarceration, power and control. Weatherall has exhibited across Australia and internationally, including a solo exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney in 2025. Along with Tony Albert, Weatherall is also a member of the Aboriginal arts collective, proppaNOW. Weatherall’s work is featured in the 5th National Indigenous Art Triennial: After the Rain, which opens at the National Gallery of Australia in December. Works of art discussed: Archie Moore, Kamilaroi/Bigambul peoples, Family Tree 2021, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, purchased in celebration of the National Gallery of Australia's 40th anniversary, 2022, © Archie Moore Guan Wei, Under the Southern Cross, 1999, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, © Arc One Gallery, on behalf of Guan Wei Jenny Holzer, Inflammatory Essays, 1978–83, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, purchased 1986, © Jenny Holzer/Copyright Agency Jeffrey Smart, On the Roof, Taylor Square, 1961, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, purchased 1969, © The Estate of Jeffrey Smart Series Information: This series was produced by Audiocraft Theme Music by Ravi Gupta Segment Music is Hold Tight by Thalia Skopellos from Melodie Music 5th National Indigenous Art Triennial: After the Rain exhibition identity by Aretha Brown Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • S3 · E1
    Sep 9, 2025 · 26 min

    Artists’ Artists: Tony Albert

    Artistic Director for the 5th National Indigenous Art Triennial is Tony Albert, Girramay/Yidinji/Kuku-Yalanji peoples, one of Australia’s foremost contemporary artists. Albert is a renowned artist, writer, and curator. He has a longstanding interest in the cultural misrepresentation of Aboriginal people, explaining, ‘There is a tension between what is seen and unseen and that is the space in which I create my work’. Drawing on both personal and collective histories and employing painting, photography, sculpture, video and text Albert considers the ways in which optimism might be utilised to overcome adversity. He poses crucial questions such as how do we remember, give justice to, and rewrite complex and traumatic histories. Works of art discussed: Arthur Koo'ekka Pambegan Jnr, Wik-Waya/Chaa-Ngkoth/Wik Mungkan/Winchanam peoples, Untitled XXXXI (Body Paint Design – Three Ancestral Figures) 2010, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra Wangechi Mutu, The seated IV 2019, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, purchased in celebration of the National Gallery of Australia's 40th anniversary, 2022, © Wangechi Mutu Albert Namatjira, Western Arrarnta people, Blackwood Trees at Rapid Creek, Darwin 1950, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, Gordon and Marilyn Darling Hermannsburg Fund 2023, © Namatjira Legacy Trust/ Copyright Agency Margaret Preston, Still life: fruit (Arnhem Land motif) 1941, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, purchased 1976, © Margaret Preston/Copyright Agency Series Information: This series was produced by Audiocraft Theme Music by Ravi Gupta Segment Music is Hold Tight by Thalia Skopellos from Melodie Music 5th National Indigenous Art Triennial: After the Rain exhibition identity by Aretha Brown Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • Aug 5, 2025 · 29 min

    National Poetry Month: Nam Le

    To celebrate National Poetry Month, this episode of NGA Art Talks explores the intersection of text, poetry and art. In 2024 the National Gallery, together with Red Room poetry, commissioned Vietnamese Australian writer and poet Nam Le and Palawa playwright Dylan Van Den Berg to respond to a work of art from the national collection. Nam Le’s debut poetry collection 36 Ways of Writing a Vietnamese Poem was published in March 2024 in Australia, the United States of America and the United Kingdom, and won Book of the Year at the 2025 New South Wales Literary Awards. Le’s work has been translated into over fourteen languages and has received major awards in America, Europe and Australia, including the PEN/Malamud Award, the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award, the Dylan Thomas Prize, the Australian Prime Minister’s Literary Award, the Melbourne Prize for Literature and the Sidney Myer Creative Fellowship. Le’s work has appeared in modern classics series and is widely anthologized and taught. Le chose Sidney Nolan’s painting Quilting the armour, one of a series on the theme of the bushranger Ned Kelly. In this episode, recorded in front of a live audience as part of the Gallery’s Friday Art Talks program, Le reads his ekphrastic poem and shares insights into the writing process. Artworks discussed: Sidney Nolan - Quilting the armour Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Showing 1–20 of 25 episodes