Our Way: Celebrating Indigenous Art – exhibition opening

The Warden of Trinity College, Professor Ken Hinchcliff, warmly invites you to join us for the opening of Our Way, a celebration of contemporary Indigenous art from across Australia. 

We will be joined by Our Way curator, Eastern Arrernte woman Shanysa McConville, Associate Curator, Indigenous Collections, at the University of Melbourne, in conversation with Dr Benjamin Thomas, Trinity's Rusden Curator, Cultural Collections, discussing Our Way and the Potter Museum of Art's major new Indigenous exhibition, 65,000 Years: A Short History of Australian Art.

Date: Thursday 14 August 2025

Time: 6.30 – 8.30pm

Venue: Professor Sir Joseph Burke Gallery, Gateway Building | Trinity College, 100 Royal Parade, Parkville VIC 3052

RSVP: By Friday 8 August 2025

Tickets: Free, but bookings essential.

Enquiries: Briony O'Halloran | events@trinity.unimelb.edu.au | 03 8341 0216

Exhibition: 19 August – 27 November 2025

About the exhibition

'We are doing painting our way, the way we learnt from our families … We used to watch the old people painting, they also painted their way' – Vanessa Inkamala, 2024

Our Way explores how Indigenous artists are reimagining storytelling today, expanding on the diverse artistic traditions presented in 65,000 Years: A Short History of Australian Art, the landmark exhibition currently showing at the Potter Museum of Art. Guided by cultural knowledge passed down through generations, the artists in this exhibition honour existing practices while pushing creative boundaries.

Through collaboration with kin, community, and fellow creators, they give voice to lived experiences and honour those who came before. From discarded metals and salvaged materials to paintings, photography, weavings and more, artists from across the country share their connections to culture and Country.

This exhibition brings together works from the University of Melbourne Art Collection, the University’s Indigenous Art and Culture Collection, and the Trinity College Art Collection. Our Way is a celebration of First People creating their way, with autonomy, pride and ambition.