Exhibitions

Mariw Minaral (Spiritual Patterns)

Opens November

Alick Tipoti is arguably the most important artist of his generation from Zendah Kes (the Torres Strait Islands), and for the first time we are presenting a retrospective of his works.

A CULTURAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ARTIST, Alick Tipoti is highly respected for his work in regenerating cultural knowledge and language. Guided by the traditional cultural practices of his people, Tipoti’s storytelling encompasses traditional cosmology, marine environments and ocean conservation – focusing on what it means to be a sea person. Tipoti is revered for his sophistication and ability to spread his concerns and messages through his art. Among the works on display will be the sculptures Kisay Dhangal (Moonlight Dugong), made from bronze and pearl shell, and Kaygasiw Usul – which means ‘the trail of dust underwater created by the shovel nose shark’ in the language of the Maluyligal People. Also on show will be some of Tipoti’s large-scale linocut prints, whose intricate detail highlights the artist’s skill. Many of these works will be on display for the first time; others have featured in previous exhibitions at the museum, such as Munuk Zugabal (Saltwater Songlines) in 2016. The exhibition comprises works from our own collection, many of which have been purchased through generous donations.

Kisay Dhangal (Moonlight Dugong), by Alick Tipoti. Image Andrew Frolows/ANMM

Paradise Lost: Daniel Solander’s Legacy Opens early October

This exhibition commemorates the legacy of the Endeavour botanist Daniel Solander and the first encounter between Sweden and the Pacific Region. It features fine art prints by ten leading contemporary New Zealand artists selected to bring a unique vision to this historical event and Solander’s legacy. It will also feature Australian Indigenous scientific knowledge as a framework to explore engravings of botanical specimens collected in Australia by Joseph Banks and Daniel Solander from the National Maritime Collection.

Solander and Banks bag fish and fowl by John McLean, 2019. Courtesy of the artist and Solander Gallery Wildlife Photographer of the Year Until late January 2021

This world-renowned exhibition features 100 awe-inspiring images, from fascinating animal behaviour to breathtaking landscapes. Wildlife Photographer of the Year is the most prestigious photographic event of its kind, providing a global platform that has showcased the natural world’s most astonishing and challenging sights for more than 50 years. Wildlife Photographer of the Year is developed and produced by the Natural History Museum, London. sea.museum/wildlife Ship and Shore – The history and legacy of Cook’s first voyage Now showing

James Cook mapped the east coast of Australia aboard the Endeavour in 1770, and this year marks 250 years since that historic voyage. Through a series of curated panels in the Wharf 7 forecourt, this free outdoor exhibition examines this event and its legacy, incorporating perspectives of both those aboard the Endeavour and the Indigenous inhabitants watching it from the shore. It was a pivotal moment when two cultures – neither able to communicate or comprehend the other’s world – collided with near-fatal consequences for the Indigenous custodians of the land and their 60,000-year-old culture. sea.museum/ship-and-shore

Defying Empire Opens 25 November

Defying Empire: Third National Indigenous Art Triennial brings the works of 30 contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists from across the country into the national spotlight. The Third National Indigenous Art Triennial from the National Gallery of Australia commemorates the 50th anniversary of the 1967 Referendum that recognised Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as Australians for the first time. It explores the ongoing resilience of Australia’s Indigenous people since first contact, through to the historical fight for recognition and ongoing activism in the present day. Sea Monsters – Prehistoric ocean predators Until 11 October

An exhibition combining real fossils, gigantic replicas, multimedia and hands-on experiences to reveal ancient monsters of the deep. Find out how three main types of ancient reptiles – ichthyosaurs, plesiosaurs and mosasaurs – left the land to rule the seas. In the oceans, they developed into awesome, enormous predators that make today’s great white sharks seem almost friendly! sea.museum/sea-monsters HERE: Kupe to Cook Until 25 November

HERE: Kupe to Cook features artworks by 20 leading Aotearoa–New Zealand and Australian contemporary artists who investigate the long and varied histories of South Pacific voyaging – from celebrated Oceanic navigator Kupe to the arrival of James Cook in 1769. Produced by Pataka Art + Museum in association with the National Library of New Zealand sea.museum/kupe-to-cook

Exhibition view of Kupe to Cook. Image Andrew Frolows/ANMM

Under Southern Skies Permanent exhibition now open

From the Pacific to the Islands of Indonesia, ocean voyagers had been traversing and navigating around the coasts of Australia for centuries before Europeans arrived. The first navigators were Aboriginal people who crossed the seas to arrive in Australia more than 60,000 years ago – the oldest known ocean migration in the world. Incredible feats of navigation were not the sole preserve of Europeans, but were part of a global current of trade, migration and voyaging – all made possible by skills and technologies that understood wind, water and stars. This new permanent gallery tells the stories of navigators under the southern skies using objects from the National Maritime Collection. These include bark paintings that depict Makassan fishermen trading with Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory, and sextants, compasses and telescopes that show the technological advancement in navigational instruments. Also temporarily on display later this year, on loan from the National Library of Australia, are the ‘secret instructions’ that were issued to James Cook, outlining his mission aboard HMB Endeavour. sea.museum/under-southern-skies

European navigational instruments on display in Under Southern Skies. Image Andrew Frolows/ ANMM Adrift Opens late winter

Come along and see 2,000 virtual marine microbes as they drift in a simulated ocean environment! These trajectories, generated by a global community of citizen scientists, are helping researchers identify areas in the ocean where real-life microbes experience variability in their environment – an important step in considering the future of our oceans. Adrift is supported by the Inspiring Australia –Science Engagement Programme, an initiative by the Australian Government Department of Industry, Innovation and Science & partners the Bureau of Meteorology and Australia’s Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS). Travelling Exhibitions Sea Monsters – Prehistoric ocean predators Queensland Museum, Brisbane from 20 November

An exhibition combining real fossils, gigantic replicas, multimedia and hands-on experiences to reveal ancient monsters of the deep. Find out how three main types of ancient reptiles – ichthyosaurs, plesiosaurs and mosasaurs – left the land to rule the seas. In the oceans, they developed into awesome, enormous predators that make today’s great white sharks seem almost friendly! sea.museum/sea-monsters

Outbreak: Epidemics in a connected world Coming soon

The exhibition highlights how pathogens can spread to people from wildlife and livestock, why some outbreaks become epidemics and how human, animal and environmental health are connected. We’ve added additional banners about how epidemics of smallpox, measles and the Spanish flu arrived in Australia by sea. A USA Program supported by the USA Bicentennial Gift Fund Submerged: Stories of Australia’s Shipwrecks At various venues – check www.sea.museum for details

The Australian Maritime Museums Council (AMMC) and the Australian National Maritime Museum partnered to develop the graphic panel display Submerged: Stories of Australia’s shipwrecks. Content was developed by AMMC members at maritime heritage organisations across the country, and merged into a nationally touring display by the museum. This display is supported by Visions of Australia

Dates listed for on-site exhibitions are subject to COVID-19 restrictions and guidelines, and may change at short notice. Please check our website www.sea.museum for updates. Cats & Dogs: All at Sea, Photographs by Samuel Hood Bass Strait Maritime Centre, Devonport, Tasmania, from 1 October

Dogs, cats, monkeys and birds have been cherished on board ships for as long as people have made sea voyages. In a life from which children and families were usually missing, pets provided an important source of comfort and affection. Photographer Samuel Hood boarded hundreds of ships between the 1900s and 1950s that were moored in Sydney Harbour. He took thousands of photographs of crew members – and their pets – as a souvenir of their visit to send home to families and loved ones.