30/08/2026
DESERT MOB 2026 SATELLITE EVENTS 🔅
Discover the story behind the art through Desert Mob’s expanded program of events. Complementing the 2026 exhibition, Desert Mob invites you to meet the artists, hear their stories and join them on Arrernte Country for a set of experiences like no other.
Be sure to check out the wonderful events on offer and learn more at: https://desertmob.com/public-programs-satellite-events/
Nurnaka Urrkaapuntja Tharrka Rinya | Our Work with Grass
Exhibition by Iltja Ntjarra Many Hands Art Centre + Arid Lands Environment Centre
Paintings by Western Aranda artists on handmade buffel grass paper, exploring the ecological and cultural impacts of buffel grass.
🔅Opening: Tue 8 Sept, 6 - 8PM | Exhibition: 8 - 30 Sept, 2026
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Apmere: Pmara: Apmer: Ngurra: Ngura: Home
Join Tangentyere Artists + Yarrenyty Arltere Artists in a celebration of home, community, family and culture, featuring artworks by artists from Town Camps.
🔅Opening: Wed 9 Sept, 5PM - 7PM | Exhibition: 9 Sept - 30 October 2026
📍Tangentyere Artists, 16 Fogarty St, Ciccone
Art & Health | The Purple House Story
Hear the story of The Purple House and explore the powerful connection between art, health, community, wellbeing and culture in Central Australia.
🔅Talk: Thurs 10 Sept, 12 - 1PM
📍Purple Shed, 15 Lindsay Ave, East Side
When the Rains Come | What the Bones Remember
Exhibition by Engawala Arts Centre + Central Craft Alice Springs
A multi-form exhibition connecting the 2026 rains, the ancient megafauna of Alcoota and stories of Country through ceramics, paintings and terracotta works.
🔅Opening: Fri 11 Sept, 4-5PM | Exhibition dates: 8–20 Sept | Gallery: Tues–Sat, 10AM–2PM
📍June Marriott Gallery, Central Craft, 61 Larapinta Dr, Araluen
Ngananatju Kulini Kuwarritjanu | We Are Thinking About the Future
Exhibition by Papunya Tula Artists Pty Ltd
A curated selection of new works by emerging and senior artists from Walungurru (Kintore) and Kiwirrkurra, alongside never-before-seen archival works.
🔅Opening: Fri 11 Sept, 6PM | Exhibition: 11-27 Sept
📍Papunya Tula Artists, 63 Todd Mall, Mparntwe
Mimili Maku Arts
Exhibition by Mimili Maku Arts × 8 Hele Gallery
A vibrant cross-section of Mimili artists exploring Country, family, memory and lived experience, including works from the Mimili Maku Wati Studio.
🔅Opening: Sat 12 Sept, 4-6PM | Exhibition: 12 Sept-3 Oct | Gallery: Tues–Fri, 10AM-5PM + Sat, 10AM–2PM
📍8 Hele Gallery, 8 Hele Cres, Ciccone
Bush Life | Harry Hayes & Family
Watch This Space × Children's Ground
Constructed from mainly recycled materials, Harry’s lively artworks tell stories of Central Australian bush life, and reflect the colourful and rich cultural, historical and ecological identity of Mparntwe.
🔅Opening: Sat 12 Sept, 2-4PM | Exhibition: 12-26 Sept
📍Watch This Space, 8 Gap Rd, The Gap
Bindi Magic
Exhibition by Bindi Mwerre Anthurre Artists
Bindi Mwerre Anthurre Artists present their eagerly anticipated annual group exhibition, Bindi Magic.
🔅Opening: Sun 13 Sept, 10AM-2PM | Exhibition: 13 Sept–9 Oct
📍Bindi Mwerre Anthurre Artists, 47 Elder St, Ciccone
Agency Lounge: First Nations Art in Film and Animation
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art comes to life through this free community screening focusing on the evolution of storytelling in First Nations creative practice.
🔅 Monday 14 Sept, 6:30pm (45 minutes)
📍 Araluen Arts Centre Theatre
Little Desert Mob Stories
Exhibition by Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education RTO 0383 × Central Craft Alice Springs
Paintings by school students from across the Central Desert region, sharing personal and cultural stories and showcasing the next generation of Desert Mob storytellers.
🔅Opening: Thurs 16 Oct, 6:30PM | Exhibition: 14-24 Oct | Gallery: Tues-Sat, 10AM-2PM
📍June Marriott Gallery, Central Craft, 61 Larapinta Dr, Araluen
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Desert Mob is presented by Desart and supported by the NT Government through Arts NT, Tourism and Events NT, and the Community Benefit Fund, Creative Australia, and the Australian Government’s Indigenous Visual Arts Industry Strategy and the Visual Arts and Crafts Strategy.
Images: 1. Vanessa Inkamala with her painting of bush foods and flowers on buffel grass paper. Photo by Tyler Arnold, courtesy of Iltja Ntjarra (Many Hands) Art Centre. 2. Women collecting anakety out bush 2026, Grace Kemarre Robinya. Courtesy of the artist and Tangentyere Artists. 3. Sarah Brown (bottom right) pictured with Purple House Directors, 2025, courtesy of Purple House. 4. Megafauna - Kirsty Tilmouth, Elizabeth Dixon, Nancy Tilmouth, Dianne Dixon - Photo Brigida Alberti. 5. Papunya Tula Artists 2023 Exhibition photo by Michael Irvine courtesy of Papunya Tula Artists. 6. Pauline Wangin’s paintings Kapi Tjukula, 2026, in Mimili Community. Photo by Meg Hansen, courtesy the artist and Mimili Maku Arts. 7. Poster for Bush Life - Harry Hayes and Family, 2026, dimensions variable. Photography by Milyika Scales, courtesy of Children’s Ground. 8. Bindi artists Charles Jangala Inkamala and Billy Tjampitjinpa Kenda in front of their works in Bindi Magic 2025. Photo by Sara Maiorino, courtesy of Bindi Mwerre Anthurre Artists. 9. Still from Kukaputju (The Hunter) by Tjanpi Desert Weavers. 10. Image courtesy of Batchelor Institute and Central Craft.
