WOMEN OF THE WESTERN DESERT: WALUNGURRU AND KIWIRRKURRA | Melbourne

In the 1990s, the women of the Western Desert made their mark in Australian art history. After paving the way for women artists, Emily Kam Kngwarray passed away in 1996, the same year​ women from Walungurru and Kiwirrkurra began painting in a new wave that surpassed the successes of the men who had been painting for twenty years prior.

Women of the Western Desert: Walungurru and Kiwirrkurra​ highlights works from the leading painters and draws from the wider history of the region to understand the context surrounding what is recognised as a ‘women’s art movement’ in the Western Desert.

​T​his exhibition precedes D’Lan Contemporary’s third consecutive participation in Frieze Masters, London this October 2025​ where the gallery will present ​the work of two leading artists​ from the Western Desert​, Makinti Napanangka and Naata Nungurraryi​, at an international art fair​ for the first time.