Kaiela Arts artist Ally Knight, staff member Amy Morgan, curator Chloe Jones and artist Tarli Dean-Atkinson standing in front of the screen prints presented in the Bupolga collection.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
A successful celebration of culture, story and winter gathering was held at Kaiela Arts on Thursday, June 18 for a special preview of the 2026 Bupolga Collection.
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Bupolga, meaning winter in Yorta Yorta language, represented the year’s first screen-print installation for the winter collection, which Indigenous artists have been working on for several months.
The private preview featured a new series of limited-edition prints on paper by Yorta Yorta artists Jack Anselmi, Lyn Thorpe, Belinda Briggs, Tahnee Day and Glennys Briggs, developed in a 10-year standing collaboration with Spacecraft.
The viewing was an opportunity for the local community to see the five artists’ works before their other works from the collection are shipped to the National Indigenous Art Fair in Sydney during the first week of July.
“A lot of these fellows, they’re getting old, they’re getting on and were pretty desperate to try and capture their stories,” Kaiela Arts curator Chloe Jones said.
The intimate gathering was a special evening showcasing some of “our people’s” most sacred stories.
“It was a special and intimate evening supported by family, friends and the local community,” Chloe said.
“A lot of time and effort goes into the works, and our stories are so sacred hence why you’ve got the foiling [the foiling speaks to the sacred nature of each artist’s story, especially the gold foiling] embedded in some of the works.”
Guests also saw samples of a new upcoming ceramic collection by Ally Knight (Yorta Yorta, Dja Dja Wurrung, Kamilaroi) and Melinda Solomon (Eastern Kuku Yalanji, Girramay), including hand-crafted mugs, bowls and plates embedded with woven imprints and textural markings.
The night also featured a special performance in Yorta Yorta language by The Muirs, featuring Glennys Briggs and her husband.
As more collections are planned for later in the year, Kaiela Arts encourages all people within the community to visit the studio and support its talented artists.
“It’s nice moving forward in a local community for the Indigenous and non-Indigenous community collaborating,” Chloe said.
“We encourage people to pop in, have a yarn or reach out to us because it’s not just about purchasing artwork.”
The Bupolga Collection is available for viewing at Kaiela Arts until August.
Kaiela Arts curator and Bupolga collection producer Chloe Jones.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
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