RISING VOICES: INTRODUCTION

Learn more about the first thematic section in 'Rising Voices: Contemporary Art from Asia, Australia and the Pacific' (2026–27), a landmark collaboration between the V&A, London, and QAGOMA, Brisbane.

Ancestral knowledge, customary practices and long-standing connections to place and community remain deeply relevant to artists’ practices today. These initial works in 'Rising Voices: Contemporary art from Asia, Australia and the Pacific' reveal how cultural knowledge continues to evolve, adapt and reflect on past histories, expressed through rich materials and unique symbolic devices. 

Feature image: Sarah Ugiobari / Ömie and Samwejé people / Papua New Guinea b.c.1919 / Tamajai Ohu'o Deb'e (Ancestral tattoo design of the necklace with pandanus fibre string) (detail) 2014 / Natural pigments on barkcloth / Purchased 2017. QAGOMA Foundation / © Sarah Ugiobari / Photograph: QAGOMA