Ngarn Wa’ngal: Art of the gum tree publication

Damien Wright and Bonhula Yunupingu

Ngarn Wa’ngal: Art of the gum tree publication

by Alisa Bunbury and Sophie Gerhard

Ngarn Wa’ngal: Art of the gum tree is a landmark publication dedicated to the eucalypt and the art it inspires. It traces the gum tree through art history and contemporary practice, engaging with Indigenous sovereignty, Australian identity, nationalism, climate change, land management and the tree’s global impact. Published in association with a major exhibition at the University of Melbourne's Potter Museum of Art.

 

Richly illustrated, the book features a range of contributors, from artists, Aboriginal Elders and art historians to ecologists, poets and writers who share their responses to this iconic Australian symbol, charting the gum tree’s ever-evolving significance in art, culture, the environment and wider society.

 

The title Ngarn Wa'ngal translates as 'breathing for us' in Woi Wurrung language.

 

 

July 21, 2026
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