Ancestral threads, Modern forms: Australian First Nations artist Grace Lillian Lee makes her Indian debut   

First Nations artist and designer Grace Lillian Lee made a powerful impression at the India Art Fair (5-8 February), presenting The Winds of Guardians - a sculptural body of work rooted in Torres Strait Islander knowledge and contemporary design.

Drawing from her heritage as a descendant of the Miriam Mer Semsep people of the Eastern Torres Strait in Australia, Lee’s presentation explored winds as both a material force and ancestral metaphor. The installation comprised four striking large-scale woven forms - North Winds, South Winds, East Winds and West Winds - alongside a ceremonial Dreamweaver mask.

Lee’s Indian debut included an exclusive conversation with Raw Mango founder Sanjay Garg, facilitated by Australia’s High Commissioner, Philip Green. The conversation, featuring performance art using Lee’s designs, fostered cross-cultural dialogue on Indigenous knowledge systems, craft traditions, and sustainability.

An iteration of The Winds of Guardians will be presented in collaboration with the National Crafts Museum in New Delhi in March. 

(Australian First Nations artist Grace Lillian Lee's work 'The Winds of Guardians' at the India Art Fair)

Australian literary powerhouses bridge cultures at the 2026 Jaipur Literature Festival  

Representing the depth of Australian storytelling, three outstanding Australian authors brought powerful stories and ideas to the 2026 Jaipur Literature Festival, one of the world’s most significant literary forums.

Richard Flanagan, Professor Marcia Langton and Steve MinOn captivated audiences with thought-provoking conversations on history, identity, memory and belonging, showcasing the depth and diversity of Australia’s literary voices.

Booker Prize–winning author Richard Flanagan explored memory, family and moral responsibility, drawing on themes from his work Question 7. His session reflected on the human dimensions of history - from personal stories to global events - and the enduring power of empathy and resilience.

Novelist and former restaurateur Steve MinOn shared his experience as an Australian of Chinese heritage, tracing his family’s mixed-race history and his story of migration. His discussion offered a personal lens on multicultural Australia and the stories that continue to shape Australia’s social fabric.

Professor Marcia Langton delivered a deeply thoughtful session grounded in First Nations knowledge, culture and history. She highlighted the strength and wisdom of Indigenous Australians and the essential role their perspectives play in understanding Australia’s past, present and future.

Australia’s presence at 2026 Jaipur Literature Festival highlighted the power of storytelling to foster dialogue, cultural exchange and connection, strengthening the people-to-people ties between Australia and India.

(Australian author Richard Flanagan at the 2026 Jaipur Literature Festival)

Songlines: Tracking the Seven Sisters opens in Delhi 

Songlines: Tracking the Seven Sisters, the acclaimed Australian First Nations exhibition developed by the National Museum of Australia in partnership with the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, was inaugurated in New Delhi on 21 November 2025 by Australian High Commissioner Phillip Green OAM, Mrs Kiran Nadar (Founder, Kiran Nadar Museum of Art), Ratish Nanda (CEO, Aga Khan Trust for Culture), and Dr Jilda Andrews (Deputy Director, First Nations, National Museum of Australia), in the presence of visiting First Nations Cultural Ambassadors, who performed ‘Inma’, a ceremonial expression of ancestral knowledge through song and dance.

Now open at the Humayun’s Tomb World Heritage Site Museum, the exhibition will be on display from 22 November 2025 to 1 March 2026, marking the first major Australian museum exhibition to tour India. Featuring nearly 300 artworks, song, dance and immersive multimedia, Songlines traces the epic Seven Sisters creation story and celebrates over 65,000 years of living Indigenous culture, grounded in Tjukurrpa (Aboriginal Law).

Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator the Hon Penny Wong and India’s Union Minister for Culture and Tourism, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, also visited the exhibition, highlighting the importance of cultural exchanges in strengthening people-to-people connections between our two countries.

(Australian First Nations exhibition 'Songlines: Tracking the Seven Sisters' at Delhi's Humayun’s Tomb World Heritage Site Museum)