Robert Fielding

Robert Fielding is a contemporary artist of Pakistani, Afghan, Western Arrernte and 
Yankunytjatjara descent who lives in Mimili Community on the Anangu Pitjantjatjara 
Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands. He combines strong cultural roots with contemporary 
perspectives, exploring the tensions between community life and global concerns. 
Moving confidently across mediums – from new media and photography to painting 
and traditional craftsmanship – Fielding creates dynamic intersections of story, 
politics and process. 

His work is deeply informed by his experience of reclaiming culture as a son of the 
Stolen Generations. While he has spent time in major cultural institutions across 
Australia, he remains grounded in knowledge passed down by Elders on the APY 
Lands. This dual learning brings clarity and force to his practice, one that insists on 
truth-telling while advocating for unity and cultural resurgence. 

Recent projects include residencies at Canberra Glassworks and McClelland 
Sculpture Park (both 2023), and inclusion in On Country at the renowned Les 
Rencontres d’Arles photography festival in France (2025). In 2025, he was Artist in 
Residence at the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection at the University of Virginia 
(USA), exploring new international pathways for Mimili artists. 

Fielding held his first international solo exhibition at Fondation Opale (Switzerland, 
2018), was a featured artist in the 4th National Indigenous Art Triennial at the 
National Gallery of Australia (2022), and presented a major print survey at Maitland 
Regional Art Gallery (2024). He has guest lectured at the Victorian College of the 
Arts as part of the Stuart Black Fellowship, and is the 2025 recipient of the University 
of South Australia’s Jeffrey Smart Commission at Samstag Museum of Art, with a 
major presentation forthcoming in late 2026. 

Fielding is increasingly recognised for his mentorship at Mimili Maku Arts and for his 
leadership within the community, supporting artists across the region and beyond. 

Selected Solo Exhibitions 
2024 Tjukurpa Handle It, Maitland Regional Art Gallery, Maitland 
2024 Kinara pulka irnyani palyanu. Tjintungku kampara utinu, Curtin University 
Gallery, Perth 
2023 Iwara, Wyndham Regional Gallery, Wyndham 
2023 Nganampa Tjukurpa, blackartprojects, Melbourne 
2021 Manta miil-miilpa, Art Gallery of Ballarat, Ballarat 
2020 Routes / Roots, Linden New Art, Melbourne 
2018 Robert Fielding, Fondation Opale, Crans Montana, Switzerland 
2018  Graveyards In Between, blackartprojects, Melbourne 
2017 Milkali Kutju: One Blood, blackartprojects, Melbourne 

Selected Group Exhibitions 
2026 Ngura Pulka, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra 
2025 On Country, Les Rencontres d’Arles, Arles 
2025 Tjunguringanyi – Come Together, Ames Yavuz, Sydney 
2023 The National 4 : Australian Art Now, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney 
2022 Fugitive Present, Fondation Opale, Crans Montana, Switzerland 
Selected Group Exhibitions (continued) 
2022 Ceremony, National Indigenous Art Triennial, National Gallery of Australia, 
Canberra 
2020 kulata tjuta, Musee des beaux arts de Rennes, France 
2020 Shadow Sites, New City Arts, Charlottesville, US 
2019 Tarnanthi, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide 
2018 The Lightness of Being is the Spirit of Happiness, ACCA, Melbourne 
2016 Darkness on the Edge of Town, Artbank, Sydney 

Selected Awards 
2026 Finalist, Hadley Prize, Hadley Orient Hotel 
2026 Finalist, Archibald & Wynne Prize, Art Gallery of New South Wales 
2025 Finalist, Archibald, Wynne & Sulman Prize, Art Gallery of New South Wales 
2025 Recipient, Jeffrey Smart Commission, University of South Australia 
2024 Recipient, Stuart Black Fellowship, Victorian College of the Arts 
2024 Finalist, Wynne Prize & Archibald Prize, Art Gallery of New South Wales 
2024 Finalist, Alice Prize, Araluen Art Centre 
2023 Finalist, Arthur Guy Memorial Prize, Bendigo Art Gallery  
2023 Winner, Bowness Photography Prize, Monash Gallery of Art 
2022 Finalist, National Works on Paper Prize, Mornington Peninsula Regional 
Gallery 
2022 Finalist, Len Fox Painting Prize, Castlemaine Art Museum 
2022 Finalist, Blake Prize, Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre 
2022 Finalist, National Photography Prize, Murray Art Museum Albury 
2021 Winner, Fisher’s Ghost Art Award, Campbelltown Art Centre 
2021 Finalist, Geelong Acquisitive Print Awards, Geelong Gallery 
2021 Finalist, Hadley Art Prize, Hadley Orient Hotel 
2019 Finalist, Bowness Photography Prize, MGA 
2019 Winner, Banyule Award for Works on Paper 
2017 Winner, NATSIAA - Work on Paper Award, MAGNT 
2015 Winner, NATSIAA - Telstra Work on Paper Award, MAGNT 

Collections 
ArtBank, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Art Gallery of South Australia, Art Gallery 
of Ballarat, Banyule City Council, Curtin University Collection, Fondation Opale, 
Geelong Gallery, Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery, Murdoch University Art 
Collection, National Gallery of Australia, National Gallery of Victoria, National Portrait 
Gallery, Parliament House Collection, University of Wollongong Art Collection, 
Wesfarmers Arts