Ngarn Wa’ngal

Art of the Gum Tree

NOT YET PUBLISHED

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Published 15-09-2026
ISBN 9780522882520
Pages 304
Subjects Animals & nature in art (still life, landscapes & seascapes, etc) Indigenous peoples
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Charting the evolving significance of eucalypts in art, culture and ecology

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.

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.

Alisa Bunbury is Senior Curator, Grimwade Collection at the University of Melbourne and has previously worked as a curator at the National Gallery of Victoria and Art Gallery of South Australia. She is a specialist in colonial art history who seeks to contribute to a deeper understanding of Australia's complex past.

Sophie Gerhard is a curator and researcher based in Naarm and Adjunct Curator at the University of Melbourne. Her curatorial interests include conversations surrounding national identity and colonialism, in particular the emotion of shame and its role within Australian and First Nations art.