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Step into Wadjemup Museum for a welcome moment of grounding. Inside, Connections to Wadjemup shares stories of Country, resilience, and culture.
Running until 30 April 2026, the Connections to Wadjemup exhibition is an essential exploration of the diverse and enduring relationships that Aboriginal communities across Western Australia hold with Wadjemup / Rottnest Island. Curated by Emilia Galatis and supported by the Wadjemup Aboriginal Reference Group, the exhibition features works from over 50 Aboriginal artists from around the state. This is an important and insightful journey that all island visitors can share. After all, travel isn’t just about where you go, but about the stories you take the time to listen to along the way.
As you walk through the doors of the historic Wadjemup Museum, a diverse display of textures, mediums, and themes invites exploration. This diversity mirrors the cultural richness of Western Australia and the communities involved in the exhibition.
Each work explores the complex relationships Aboriginal communities around WA have with the island. Wadjemup's original story was one of reverence and sanctity prior to colonisation. Following this, it became a prison for 3,700 Aboriginal men and boys between 1838 and 1931. Many never returned home, making Wadjemup a deeply significant and sorrowful site.
When invited to coordinate the exhibition, curator Emilia Galatis explains: “I could not predict the response: whether people would be ready to trace these stories into history, or transform memory into art”. Over the months that followed, Emilia communicated with various communities, spanning north to the Kimberley and central Western Australia on Martu Country, to artists working in the South West on Wardandi Country. In turn, she received an overwhelming response, featuring “nuanced visions of the islands” from renowned artists such as Mervyn Street and Sharyn Egan, to emerging talents like Dawn Alone.
It is this diversity in artists that makes for such a unique exhibition. “A lot of big-name artists in the art world wouldn’t want to be next to someone who’s just done their first painting,” Emilia explains. Instead, she describes the shared sense of community that was felt by the artists upon the exhibition’s opening, with artists expressing their joy that “we’re all in this together as a community”. The artists all “went on their own journey” in the creation of the artwork featured, with Emilia relaying a shared sentiment from many artists that they “felt it was time to tell the stories of Wadjemup”.
Walking through the entryway into the first exhibition room, there is a strong representation of artwork from the Whadjuk Noongar people: the Traditional Owners of Wadjemup. Here, themes explored include the island’s prison history, stories of strength and survival, and cultural pride. Gaze up at Troy Bennell’s painting of warrior men, a resonant figure that represents the Aboriginal men who ended up at Wadjemup prison (Wadjemup Warrior, n.d.). Nearby, Maitland Hill’s acrylic and pyrography on a plywood piece is a poignant representation of a Whadjuk Elder born in 1817 (Joobaitch, 2021).
Our cultural heritage is an expression of how we lived and thrived prior to colonisation. My vision is to revive and celebrate Aboriginality through art and to invite others to come on the journey with me.
Maitland Hill, Artist.
Moving into the museum’s Truth Telling Space, the old mill stone is a stark reminder of the past. Still in its original location, this is the stone that many incarcerated men and boys used to grind wheat into flour. Around this space, reflections on past, present, and future relationships with the island are explored in vibrant colours and varied mediums, including a series of dyed silkworks suspended artfully from the ceiling. These silks (Across the Ocean, 2025) were created collaboratively by three generations of women from the same family in response to the untold stories of the island. They represent the love that followed the men and boys across the ocean to Wadjemup.
Other works presented in the exhibition capture the lighter beauty of this sacred place: the ocean, fishing, and wildlife. Elements for which the island is widely known to visitors, and which remain integral to Wadjemup’s cultural significance to the Whadjuk Noongar people.
Central to the stories that emerge from every painting, print, textile, photo, and ceramic is a sense of urgency. As Emilia explains, “these are stories about resilience and survival - without assigning guilt to anyone - these are the stories of Australia that need to be told now.” And amongst the hurt, there is also healing. Connections to Wadjemup continues the commitment to truth-telling and cultural collaboration, ensuring that the full story of Wadjemup is told, respected, and remembered.
On Boodja, healing hums, songlines stir, spirits sing, memory flows. We come back, we reclaim, we renew, we heal, we rise.
Noelene Regan, Artist.
All artworks are available for purchase with 100% of the proceeds going directly to the artists, supporting their practice and communities. All artworks will remain in the museum until the exhibition concludes in April 2026.
Language Warning
Aboriginal people are advised that elements in the exhibition may be upsetting and distressing. Our deepest respects and condolences go to all the families and kin affected by trauma and injustice.
Image Warning
Aboriginal people should be aware that the exhibition contains artwork of deceased persons.
Make your visit even more meaningful with helpful advice from those in the know.
