SALON des Refusés - NATSIAA

09/09/2026

These magnificent silk cloths are on display at SALON des Refusés at .

Lino printed with bush dyes by sisters Bulanjdjan Abigail and Bulanjdjan Ruth, the designs were created by their late mother, Kamanj Jennifer Wurrkidj (dec.), their aunt Deborah Wurrkidj and Abigail herself. Since their mother’s passing, the sisters have been guided in their creative practice by their aunt and djungkay, Kamanj Deborah Wurrkidj.

A master weaver, Deborah hand-dyed the silk in bush harvested pink, brown and yellow colour, often preparing silk while boiling colour for pandanus.

Although she no longer prints lino herself, she has laid the foundations for her daughter and niece to continue the practice, creating a base cloth that reflects the colours of Country.

The purple-pink tone comes from wirndilk (Haemodorum coccineum), or scarlet bloodroot, and the golden yellow from the root of man-kurdudjumuk (Coelospermum reticulatum).

Abigail Gurawiliwili Namundja and Ruth Bindeidbal
‘Manburrba (cloth)’
3 pieces - 270 x 140cm, 300 x 140cm, 550 x 140cm, Silk crepe de chine and bush dyes

https://outstationgallery.com.au/ag-exhibitions/2026-salon-des-refuses/

27/08/2026

25/08/2026

In a bold combination of acrylic and ochre, Evelyn Malgil’s landscape shines from the wall at SALON des Refusés.

Evelyn is a senior traditional custodian of Winupar Springs, south-east of Warmun and she often paints the power and beauty of this site in her works.

Evelyn Malgil
‘Winupar Springs’
100 x 100cm, acrylic and ochre on canvas

https://outstationgallery.com.au/ag-exhibitions/2026-salon-des-refuses/

20/08/2026

SALON des Refusés is still open! While our other Outstation Festival of Art shows have now closed, you can still visit Midpul Art Gallery at CDU until Saturday 19 September and enjoy the amazing works submitted but not selected for this year’s NATSIAA.

Melanie Koolmatrie has shared a breathtaking piece that speaks to the living waters of Ngarrindjeri Country.

“Every rhythmic mark carries fragments of old stories, re-mapped in the present. I paint to listen, to remember, and to add my voice. My work is contemporary, but anchored in ancient knowledge. It is an act of care, resistance and continuity for Country, for culture and for future generations.” - Melanie Koolmatrie

Melanie Jane Koolmatrie
‘Courage and Unity’
140 x 196cm, acrylic on canvas

18/08/2026

‘gining, durenma, dhilli’ma, dutta’ - ‘hands, grow, weave, strong’ - this incredible woven wire work by Elise Jane Carmichael tells of resilience, and culture and strength.

“Making gulayi (women’s bag) today carries many stories across generations, guided by our Ancestral hands and Elders memories. This distinctive loop and diagonal knot in gulayi strengthens the continuous thread that binds us to our Ancestors. It also shares threads of connections to neighbouring Country’s with similar weaving traditions.” - Elisa Jane Carmichael.

Elisa Jane Carmichael
‘gining, durenma, dhilli’ma, dutta’
40 x 100 x 5cm, coated wire

16/08/2026

SALON des Refusés 2026 features a number of majestic metal etchings from Buku-Larrnggay Mulka including this extraordinary work by Gaṉbilpil White showing the Milŋiyawuy River or Milky Way.

On exhibition at Midpul Art Gallery at CDU until Saturday 19 September, spend some time amongst these world-class artworks.

Gaṉbilpil White
‘My mother - the River’
150 x 90cm, aerosolised acrylic enamel paint and etched aluminium road sign

13/08/2026

Last August, the final exhibition at Old Outstation in Parap was ‘Djulpan - from the stars’, a sell-out solo show by Dhalmula Burarrwaŋa.

This year we are honoured to have one of her celestial barks in SALON des Refusés.

With thanks to Buku-Larrnggay Mulka for the beautiful portrait of Dhalmula.

Dhalmula Burarrwaŋa
‘Djulpan’
137 x 83cm, earth pigments on stringybark

11/08/2026

This artwork in the 2026 SALON des Refusés honours Nyangumarta Country - from the long sweep of Eighty Mile Beach and coastal flats to the rolling sand dunes and salt lakes of the Great Sandy Desert. It holds the movement between saltwater and desert: rocky outcrops, clay pans, shifting sands and spinifex.

Edward Badal
‘Nyangumarta Warrarn’
152 x 76cm, synthetic polymer paint on canvas

09/08/2026

The SALON des Refusés this year has two breathtaking barks from Munupi Arts and the Tiwi islands.

On entry you are greeted by Alison Puruntatameri’s almost three-metre-high masterpiece that dominates the back wall - but don’t miss the smaller but equally beautiful work by Christine Puruntatameri.

“This painting tells a story about Pwonga the spider woman who gave us the designs of the web lines. When Tiwi look for water they look for the spider webs which tell us there is water near” - Christine Puruntatameri

Christine Puruntatameri
‘Pwonga’
156 x 133cm, ochre on stringybark

https://outstationgallery.com.au/ag-exhibitions/2026-salon-des-refuses/

08/08/2026

It is wonderful to have a number of works in this year’s SALON from independent artists, including Miranda Hampson. Miranda is an artist of Anaiwan descent, recognised within the Aboriginal community at Uralla and currently practicing on Dharawal Country.

Her fluid, evocative work draws on the language of nets, weaving and mapping as systems that both contain and connect.

“These forms are not fixed, they are responsive structures that rely on tension, balance and adjustment. Within this framework, containment is not understood as rigid control, but as a dynamic process of holding, one that requires permeability in order to endure.

“Liminal Tension ultimately asks what it means to hold and to let go.” - Miranda Hampson

Miranda Elise Hampson
‘Liminal Tension’
91 x 152 cm, acrylic, ink and graphite on cotton canvas with timber float frame

https://outstationgallery.com.au/ag-exhibitions/2026-salon-des-refuses/