The Neighbour at the Gate

A National Art School touring exhibition.

The Neighbour at the Gate is a major exhibition presented by the National Art School Gallery, with a guest Curatorium led by Clothilde Bullen (Wardandi Noongar and Badimaya Yamatji) with Micheal Do and Zali Morgan (Whadjuk Balladong and Wilman Noongar).

Bringing together newly commissioned works by leading Australian artists Jacky Cheng, Elham Eshraghian-Haakansson, Dennis Golding (Kamilaroi/Gamilaraay), Jenna Mayilema Lee (Gulumerridjin (Larrakia), Wardaman, KarraJarri), James Nguyen and James Tylor (Kaurna, Thura-Yura language region), the exhibition reckons with the echoes of colonialism and immigration policies in Australia, unravelling how these forces continue to shape First Nations and Asian Australian experiences and relationships.

Across various mediums and perspectives, The Neighbour at the Gate charts the entangled legacies of exclusion and resilience, drawing vital parallels between the past and present, memory and nationhood.

Image: Jacky Cheng, Imaginary Homelands, 2025, installation view, The Neighbour at the Gate, National Art School Gallery, Sydney, 2025, Xuan paper, sumi ink, beeswax, paraffin, natural dyed silk thread, cotton thread, gold Cricula silk cocoons, cotton, joss paper, commissioned by the National Art School with support of the NSW Government through the Blockbusters Funding initiative, and Department of Creative Industries, Tourism and Sport, Western Australia, image courtesy the artist and the National Art School © the artist, photograph: Peter Morgan