Connection invites visitors to experience the strength and spirit of Country, revealing how art carries and shares these stories. The exhibition brings together the work of past and contemporary artists from across Australia and the Torres Strait, celebrating the richness, diversity, and vibrancy of First Nations cultural expression.
Overview
Connection, a truly groundbreaking immersive exhibition that brought together the work of more than 110 First Nations artist from across Australia. First launced at the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra (7th June 2022), the exhibition later moved to Melbourne, where it was hosted at the Melbourne Converntion and Exhibition Centre, known locally as 'Jeff's Shed' in Docklands, running from 23rd June 2023 until 4th Febuary 2024. Across both cities, audiences were immersed in vast digital projections, soundscapes, and storytelling that surrounded them with the colours, voices, and movement of First Nations culture.
Production photography by Professor Wayne Quilliam, one of Australia’s most celebrated Indigenous photographic artists, and film elements produced by Alison Page, a Walbanga and Wadi Wadi woman renowned for her work in film, design, and storytelling, added an additional layer of authenticity and creative depth. Their contributions ensured the exhibition balanced cutting-edge technology with cultural respect and artistic integrity.
What made Connection so significant was the way it showcased the diversity and vitality of Indigenous art on an unprecedented scale. By transforming traditional and contemporary works into an expansive digital format, it celebrated ancient traditions while also embracing innovation and new modes of expression. For many visitors, the exhibition was not only an introduction to the extraordinary depth of First Nations creativity but also a chance to engage with culture in a way that felt immediate, accessible, and unforgettable.
As Australia’s largest digital art experience, Connection became a cultural milestone within the national arts scene. It demonstrated the importance of centring First Nations voices in major artistic platforms and showed how technology can be used respectfully to amplify stories that have been carried for generations. The impact of the exhibition was widely recognised, with Connection receiving both the Impact Award and People’s Choice Award at the 2024 Time Out Melbourne Arts & Culture Awards. These honours reflected not only its artistic achievement but also the way it resonated with the community, sparking dialogue, deepening understanding, and bringing people together through art.
Our Contribution
Central to The Lume: Connection was the remarkable collaboration with the Aboriginal Gallery of Dreamings (AGOD), whose collection played a pivotal role in shaping the immersive experience. When the directors of The Lume visited AGOD, they invited the gallery to contribute to the exhibition, photographing over 1,000 paintings from the collection to be digitally transformed for the immersive environment.
A highlight of this collaboration was the inclusion of The Emily Wall, a monumental work created in 1994 and originally sent to Europe for the first international exhibition of NANGARA from the Ebes Collection. Although it had never previously been exhibited in Australia, The Emily Wall had appeared in major international exhibitions, including Amsterdam, Japan (in four leading museums), Denmark, and partially in Germany. For Connection, it was finally presented on Australian soil, where it received widespread acclaim as part of the exhibition.
In addition to The Emily Wall, AGOD contributed a selection of works from Emily Kame Kngwarreye’s Final Series, enabling visitors to explore the scale, colour, and intricate detail of these celebrated paintings in ways that traditional gallery settings could not allow. Through high-resolution photography, digital projections, soundscapes, and interactive elements, the exhibition transformed these works into a living, dynamic experience, bringing the spirit of Utopia to life.
Beyond Emily Kngwarreye’s contributions, AGOD’s collection helped shape the broader scope of Connection, which featured nearly 650 works by over 110 visual and musical artists, spanning both emerging voices and master artists. Through this collaboration, AGOD’s dedication to preserving and sharing First Nations art played a central role in presenting Connection as not just an exhibition, but an immersive journey celebrating life, land, culture, and storytelling.