Melbourne/Naarm, Sydney/Gadigal, New York/Lenapehoking (May 14, 2026) | D Lan Galleries is pleased to announce the opening of Significant, the 2026 edition of its flagship exhibition of secondary-market Australian Indigenous First Nations art, presented concurrently across its galleries in Melbourne, Sydney and New York. On view through June 27, the 2026 exhibition will feature nearly 60 museum-quality works with a combined value of AUD $7 million / USD $5 million, underscoring continued international demand for historically significant First Nations art and the growing global market for Australian Indigenous works. Now in its second decade, Significant has become the leading annual presentation of secondary-market Australian Indigenous First Nations art, offering collectors and institutions access to works of exceptional historical and cultural importance. At its core are rare Papunya masterpieces, widely regarded as foundational works in the history of contemporary Australian art. These early paintings anchor the exhibition alongside major works spanning multiple generations of Australian Indigenous First Nations artists, from the Western Desert movement through to leading contemporary practitioners. This annual exhibition reflects both the cultural significance and the growing international recognition of Australian Indigenous First Nations art. D’Lan Davidson, Founder & Director of D Lan Galleries, and curator of the global exhibition, comments “these works represent some of the most important artistic achievements in contemporary Australian art history. Bringing them together within Significant allows us to present not only extraordinary individual works, but a broader narrative about the strength and growing influence of Indigenous art both in Australia and internationally.” A highlight of the 2026 edition is the Carey Lyon and Jo Crosby Collection, an important private collection of 13 early Papunya paintings assembled over 15 years. Created in 1971–72, these works date to the formative period of the Western Desert art movement; a pivotal moment in Australian art history, when senior Aboriginal artists in Papunya began translating ceremonial and ancestral designs into permanent works on board with the assistance of schoolteacher Geoffrey Bardon. This period led to the establishment of Papunya Tula Artists and the emergence of one of Australia’s most significant contemporary art movements. Among the key works is Shorty Lungkata Tjungurrayi’s Man Dreaming (1972), an exceptionally rare early Papunya board appearing on the market for the first time since the late 1980s, having been held on long-term loan to the Art Gallery of South Australia. Also included is Kaapa Mbitjana Tjampitjinpa’s Honey Ant Travelling Dreaming (1971), which connects directly to the Honey Ant Dreaming of the Papunya region and relates to the historic Honey Ant mural created in 1971 by senior Papunya artists. The exhibition also traces the evolution of Australian Indigenous First Nations art beyond the early Western Desert movement, and features major works by Emily Kam Kngwarray, Mirdidingkingathi Juwarnda Sally Gabori, and Nyapanyapa Yunupiŋu. Highlights include Kngwarray’s Yam Story (1996), painted in the final months of her life and emblematic of her late practice; Gabori’s Dibirdibi Country (2012), a definitive example of the Kaiadilt artist’s chromatic abstraction; and Yunupiŋu’s Djorra (2014), a monumental installation of 45 works created on discarded print proofs from the Yirrkala Print Space, previously shown as the centrepiece of her survey exhibition the moment eternal at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory. D Lan Galleries founder D’Lan Davidson said the annual Significant exhibition is guided by a commitment not only to showcasing important works but also to supporting artists and their communities, an ethos that defines the gallery’s overall approach. He says “a thriving secondary market must also deliver real benefits to artists and communities. Returning 30 per cent of our net profits to Australian Indigenous First Nations artists, artist-led initiatives and their communities is central to our responsibility in supporting the future of Indigenous cultural practice.” Significant will be on view in Melbourne, Sydney and New York gallery locations from May 14 to June 27, 2026. | 
