We have all looked up to see the same star constellations and felt the same warmth of the sun.It was this concept that inspired a new exhibition called ‘We Share the Same Sky’, featuring seven artists – Mabel Juli, Timothy Cook, Abdul-Rahman Abdullah, Amos Gebhardt, Bill Henson, David Sequeira and Brad Rimmer – who explore the sky as a shared space of memory, cultural knowledge, spirituality, imagination and
belonging.
Premiered at Murdoch University Art Collection’s annual soirée on Saturday 7th November, the exhibition will be on show in Murdoch University’s Art Gallery until 5 April 2027. The exhibition aims to highlight diverse First Nations and contemporary perspectives whilst emphasising the connections that cross cultural and geographic boundaries.
Significant artworks from the Murdoch University Art Collection are featured in the exhibition, making it a truly special opportunity to see storytelling through contemporary Australian art.
Murdoch University’s Senior Curator, Mark Stewart said that art is not something we only encounter or admire, but it’s a way of holding knowledge, expressing culture and teaching one another – and in this case, it considers how the sky also reflects these exact elements.
“Bringing together artists from varied cultural, geographic and creative backgrounds, the exhibition considers the sky as a site of memory, story, spirituality, imagination and belonging.
“Spanning the Tiwi Islands off the Northern Territory coast, the Warmun community in north-western Australia, Perth and Melbourne, the exhibition brings together contemporary practices that engage with the southern sky in distinct yet interconnected ways.
“Here, the sky is not simply a distant landscape or passive backdrop, but a living presence: a realm through which the artists engage variously with Country, cultural knowledge, personal experience and their relationship with the world around them.
“Although we come from diverse backgrounds and hold different belief systems, we are all connected beneath the same sky — a constant presence that crosses geographic and cultural boundaries. It offers a space in which to reflect on what we share while respecting the many ways people understand, inhabit and represent the world.
“I hope you enjoy We Share the Same Sky and that these artworks encourage you to look upwards with renewed attention. Perhaps, in doing so, we might recognise the sky not only as something above us, but as a meeting place for memory, imagination and knowledge.”
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