Shaping The Landscape: Spirit Figures From Northern Australia presents thirty-one figurative sculptures from the Martin Rae Collection, one of the most significant and comprehensive collections of its kind outside of Australia.

Representing over 50 years of discerning collecting, the exhibition brings together the sculptural traditions of three major art producing regions of Northern Australia: the Tiwi Islands, Western Arnhem Land and North-East Arnhem Land.

Aboriginal people in Australia have carved and decorated three-dimensional wooden forms for tens of thousands of years. Created primarily for use in ceremony, these poles, ornaments, weapons, and ritual objects relate to the religious lives of their makers. Many of these figures are visual manifestations of spirit beings. Some depict specific creation ancestors central to the respective origins of each cultural group: others represent spirits of the deceased.

D’Lan Contemporary is honored to present this important private collection in its entirety for the first time and to share these works with audiences in New York. Find out more about the collection here, with Director Luke Scholes as he shares insights about these artists and their work and view the exhibition through to 14 March in New York.

Shaping The Landscape: Spirit Figures From Northern Australia
Until 14 March 2025
D’Lan Contemporary New York
25 East 73rd Street, NY 10021