Bulaan Buruugaa Ngali Exhibition Opens Final Chapter in Lismore
“Moving and inspiring.”
“A beautiful blend of old and new.”
“Such a beautiful, powerful, and educational exhibition.”
These are just some of the reflections shared by visitors to the Bulaan Buruugaa Ngali Exhibition, which has stirred audiences in Grafton and Tweed Heads. Now, the touring exhibition will reach its final stop at Lismore Regional Gallery, showing from 13 September to 9 November 2025.
A major cultural homecoming, the exhibition brings together nine ancestral woven objects—returned to Country from the Australian Museum—with ten newly commissioned works by contemporary Bundjalung, Yaegl, Gumbaynggirr and Kamilaroi (Gamilaroi) artists. Curated by Bundjalung artist Kylie Caldwell and presented by Arts Northern Rivers, the project celebrates women’s weaving traditions through cultural reclamation, storytelling and community care.
“Welcoming the Bulaan Buruugaa Ngali Exhibition to Lismore feels like the closing of a circle,” says Lismore Regional Gallery Director, Ashleigh Ralph. “As the final stop on its powerful journey across Bundjalung Country, this exhibition offers our community a meaningful opportunity to engage with cultural knowledge that is both ancestral and present.”
The exhibition features works by Bindimu, Casino Wake Up Time, Janelle Duncan, Madeleine Grace, Lauren Jarrett, Tania Marlowe, Bianca Monaghan, Krystal Randall, Rhoda Roberts AO, Kyra Togo, and Margaret Torrens—artists whose practices draw from ancient weaving traditions while speaking to contemporary identity and connection to Country.
Opening weekend celebrations on Saturday 13 September include a weaving workshop with artists Rhoda Roberts AO, Aunty Janelle Duncan and Tania Marlowe, inviting the community to learn and share in this enduring cultural practice.
The exhibition and its accompanying publication honour First Nations women’s weaving traditions and language, preserving and celebrating an unbroken lineage of ancestral knowledge. Its final chapter in Lismore offers one last chance to experience these powerful interwoven stories before the exhibition closes on 9 November.
Exhibition Details
Bulaan Buruugaa Ngali Exhibition
Lismore Regional Gallery
13 September – 9 November 2025
Public Programs
Exhibition Opening and Weaving Workshop:
Saturday 13 September | 1 – 4pm
Join Lismore Regional Gallery for an afternoon opening of Bulaan Buruugaa Ngali Exhibition at 1pm, followed by a free weaving workshop from 2pm, guided by exhibition artists Rhoda Roberts AO, Aunty Janelle Duncan and Tania Marlowe.
Weaving Workshop as part of Gathering Space:
Sunday 14 September | 1 – 3pm
Guided by Kylie Caldwell, exhibition curator, this monthly gathering space is open to Aboriginal artists and Aboriginal community members to learn, share, create, and collaborate. (No registration required)
