Immigration Museum welcomes On Country: Photography from Australia

Following its success at the Rencontres d'Arles photography festival in France, Museums Victoria will present the Australian premiere of On Country: Photography from Australia at Immigration Museum from Friday 16 October, 2026.

The exhibition is a truth-telling photographic experience, reframing what it means to be ‘on Country’ through the work of 17 Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists and collectives. It will see artists from a variety of cultural backgrounds collaborate with Country to redefine contemporary photographic practice and shift who controls the story.

‘Country’ is a term embodied by First Peoples in Australia to describe the lands, waterways, seas and cosmos to which they are connected. Country is more than land – it embodies stories, family, language and identity, and shapes how we relate to the world around us. The exhibition will explore old and new relationships between Country, colonialism, community and identity in Australia today.

Originally developed and produced by PHOTO Australia, co-produced by the Rencontres d'Arles, the exhibition is curated by: Brendan McCleary; Pippa Milne; Dr Kimberley Moulton (Yorta Yorta), Museums Victoria Curator Emeritus, First Peoples; and Elias Redstone.

Museums Victoria Chief Executive Officer & Director, Lynley Crosswell, said the exhibition invites audiences to experience powerful contemporary perspectives of Country, culture and identity.

“Museums Victoria is proud to present the Australian premiere of On Country: Photography from Australia at Immigration Museum, an exhibition that brings together extraordinary artists whose work deepens our understanding of what it means to be connected to Country.

“Through photography, these artists share layered stories of place, memory, community and identity, encouraging visitors to consider Country not simply as landscape, but as a living presence that holds history, knowledge and belonging.

“Immigration Museum is a fitting home for this important exhibition, as a place where stories of culture, movement and identity are explored and shared. We look forward to welcoming visitors to engage with this remarkable gallery of work and the conversations it opens.”

The exhibition features established artists including Ying Ang, Atong Atem, Maree Clarke (Yorta Yorta/Wamba Wamba/Mutti Mutti/Boonwurrung), Michael Cook (Bidjara), Brenda L Croft (Gurindji/Malngin/Mudburra Nations; Anglo-Australian/British/Chinese/German/Irish/Scottish), J Davies, Liss Fenwick, Adam Ferguson, Robert Fielding (Yankunytjatjara/Western Arrernte), Ricky Maynard (Pakana), Lisa Sorgini, Tace Stevens (Noongar and Spinifex), wani toaishara, and James Tylor (Kaurna).

Collectives include Tony Albert (Kuku Yalanji) and David Charles Collins, Elisa Jane Carmichael (Ngugi/Quandamooka) and Sonja Carmichael (Ngugi/Quandamooka), and The Huxleys – Will Huxley and Garrett Huxley (Aus/Gumbaynggirr/Yorta Yorta).

For further information, visit the Museums Victoria website.

On Country: Photography from Australia
Open: Friday 16 October
Location: Immigration Museum, 400 Flinders St, Melbourne
Tickets: Included with museum entry: Adult $15, Senior $12, Concession free, Children 16 years and under free, Members free. On sale at Immigration Museum and online here.

PHOTO Australia was founded with ongoing support of the Bowness Family Foundation and the Naomi Milgrom Foundation. PHOTO Australia was founded by Elias Redstone.