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, ecology and wider society.

The title Ngarn Wa'ngal was gifted by Wurundjeri Elder Uncle Bill Nicholson and translates as breathing for us.

Details

ISBN13: 9780522882520
Format: Hardback
Number of Pages: 304
Edition:
Publication Date: 15 Sep 2026
Publisher: Melbourne University Press
Publication City, Country: Carlton, Australia
Dimensions (cm): 26.5(H)x20.5(L)
Weight (gm):

Author Biography

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. Her interests include a specialisation in colonial art history and evolving creative responses to Australia's natural history.

Sophie Gerhard is Curator of Australian and First Nations Art at the National Gallery of Victoria. Her curatorial interests include conversations surrounding national identity and colonialism within Australian art history. She is a PhD candidate at the University of Melbourne, with her research focusing on the emotion of shame and its role within Australian and First Nations art.

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