Readback Aboriginal Art Darwin

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Readback Aboriginal Art Darwin Aboriginal Art retail gallery. Readback Aboriginal Art Gallery conducts business on Larrakia Country. Readback has been in business in Darwin since 1995.

We acknowledge the Larrakia people as the Traditional Owners of the Darwin region and pay our respects to Larrakia elders, both past and present. We are proud to be operating under 'The Indigenous Art Code' preserving and promoting ethical trade in Indigenous art. Our Authentic, Affordable Aboriginal Art is purchased ethically, direct from local indigenous men and women artist's right here in the heart of Darwin in the Northern Territory. By buying locally it allows us to support, promote and offer a steady income to our skilled artists. We get asked time and time again โ€œwhy are your prices so low, compared to others?โ€, our answer is simple, we practice fair-trade....this enables us to offer low, competitive prices and allows our customers to make socially conscious purchases. Also our prices stay the same all year round, no raising prices in the popular dry season. We are so fortunate to have such talented artists right here on our Darwin doorstep. The renowned Numina Sisterโ€™s, Lanita, Jacinta, Caroline, Sharon, Selina and Louise Numina Napananka and mother Barbara Pananka Price Mbitjana, Reggie Sultan, Kenny Reid, Les Huddleston are located right here in Darwin. We are also fortunate to have many other well-known artists dropping in when they are in Darwin to sell their paintings. To name a couple, Janet Nakamarra Long and Linda Bopirri. Sonda Turner Nampijmpa became quite the icon here in the city as she was regularly found sitting outside the Readback shop painting, drawing crowds to watch and to listen to her stories. Our artists are welcome to take up residence in a section of the gallery to paint. This is a unique experience to see them in action, talk to them about their paintings and culture; and take photos to capture the moment. Eddie Blitner is a regular here in the Readback Gallery. Amazing people with his swift brush strokes producing straight cross hatch lines in the traditional Arhem Land design known as Rarrk

All artwork is signed by the artist on the back of the painting and comes with a Certificate of Authenticity with a photo and information about the artist and the piece. We are conveniently located in the 'The Mall' located in the heart of Darwin on Smith Street. At street level is our second hand book store. Come on in and come upstairs to our air-conditioned gallery for a wide selection of traditional, contemporary and investment art. We like to think we have something for everyone! For our interstate and international customers, browse our website and feel free to email us if you do not see exactly what you want and we will happily send photos from our selection in the gallery. Some of our artists welcome commissions when a customer has particular colours or sizes required. Send us an email so we may discuss your needs further. Our friendly knowledgeable staff are happy to help with your questions, tell you the stories behind the paintings and assist with your art work selection.

New art from Eddie Blitner ๐ŸŽจEddie Blitner's cross-hatched animals are back in the gallery, with a focus on life around t...
12/10/2026

New art from Eddie Blitner ๐ŸŽจ

Eddie Blitner's cross-hatched animals are back in the gallery, with a focus on life around the billabong.

Barramundi, brolgas and Mimi spirits feature across the new works, each one built up with fine, careful linework. They're best seen up close.

Come in and have a look or shop online: https://readbackaboriginalart.com/collections/see-all-art-work

๐Ÿ“ 32 Smith St Mall, Darwin, two levels full of art

08/10/2026

Aileen Adamson - Amazing work in progress shots!

๐ŸŒธ At just five years old, Lavita Purvis is already holding a paintbrush, taught by her Aunties, the much-loved Numina Si...
07/10/2026

๐ŸŒธ At just five years old, Lavita Purvis is already holding a paintbrush, taught by her Aunties, the much-loved Numina Sisters, to carry forward family tradition.

Her piece, Wild Desert Flowers Blooming, is a gentle first work in soft blues and dusty pinks. A reminder of why this art matters so much: not just the painting, but everything it carries. Culture, family and knowledge, handed down with love. ๐Ÿ’™

Introducing Megan ๐ŸŒฟ | New to our galleryMeet Megan, a wonderful new artist from the APY Lands, South Australia.Megan was...
07/10/2026

Introducing Megan ๐ŸŒฟ | New to our gallery

Meet Megan, a wonderful new artist from the APY Lands, South Australia.

Megan was born in Amata and grew up there with her family, before relocating to Adelaide in 2012, where she's now raising her own young family. She comes from a long line of artists: her grandfather was the celebrated painter Tiger Palpatja, her father Sammy Lyons was a respected senior man and artist at Tjala Arts in Amata, and her Big Mum Kukika Adamson paints alongside her today. Megan began painting at the Collective Art Centre Adelaide in 2023, both in her own individual practice and collaboratively with Kukika. ๐ŸŽจ

This piece, Water Snake Dreaming, is acrylic on canvas and tells the story of Piltati, the watersnake, and the Ngintaka Tjurkurpa. It comes from her father's mother's side of the family, a story from Angatja.

Rich, layered colour and a story passed down through generations, we think you're going to love getting to know Megan's work. โœจ

๐Ÿ“ 32 Smith St Mall, Darwin | Two levels full of art

Welcome, Megan! ๐Ÿ‘‹

Bush Banana Dreaming by Sharon Butcher โœจJust released: a shimmering new collection from Papunya artist Sharon Butcher, a...
06/10/2026

Bush Banana Dreaming by Sharon Butcher โœจ

Just released: a shimmering new collection from Papunya artist Sharon Butcher, and definitely one of our favourites! ๐ŸŽจ

Metallic gold, pearl white and rich bronze dots glow across the canvas. Thousands of hand-painted dots flow in winding, layered lines, and the metallic paint catches the light as you move past, so the painting seems to shimmer and change throughout the day. โœจ

So what is the bush banana? ๐ŸŒฟ It's a climbing vine of the Central Australian desert that produces slender green pods, a traditional bush food gathered and eaten fresh. Its roots and tubers are eaten too. Women have long collected it as they travel across Country, and the winding lines in the painting can echo the way the vine trails and tangles across the ground.

The luminous palette is made for modern homes, and these works look incredible box framed. Stunning on a feature wall, above a sofa or lit up in an entryway. ๐Ÿ–ผ๏ธ

Would you hang metallics in your home? ๐Ÿ‘‡

Bush Medicine Leaves: Country's Healing Garden.For thousands of years, Aboriginal women of the Central Desert have gathe...
05/10/2026

Bush Medicine Leaves: Country's Healing Garden.

For thousands of years, Aboriginal women of the Central Desert have gathered leaves from the bush to care for their families. Traditionally, leaves are crushed, soaked or steeped in water to make healing washes and balms, and can be used to soothe skin, ease aches and support wellbeing.

That knowledge is passed from grandmothers to mothers to daughters, and now it's passed on through paint as well.

Today, artists are celebrating bush medicine leaves in vibrant contemporary works. Layer upon layer of leaf shapes are painted in bold pinks, bright greens, turquoise and sunny yellows, giving an old story a fresh new look.

Each painting honours the plants, the women who know how to use them, and the Country that provides. โœจ

Which colour combination would you hang on your wall? ๐Ÿ‘‡

๐Ÿ“ 32 Smith St Mall, Darwin | Two levels full of art

Sharon Numina in blues! ๐Ÿ’™Deep ocean navy, soft sky blue, cool teal. ๐ŸŒŠ Sharon Numina's latest designs are a colour lover'...
02/10/2026

Sharon Numina in blues! ๐Ÿ’™

Deep ocean navy, soft sky blue, cool teal. ๐ŸŒŠ Sharon Numina's latest designs are a colour lover's dream.

Swapping the traditional colours for a fresh, cool palette, Sharon layers shades of blue across the canvas for a calm, symmetrical effect. ๐ŸŽจ

Packed full of meaning, these amazing pieces are a real centre piece for any home, office or gallery.

๐Ÿ“ Come and see them in person

32 Smith St Mall, Darwin
Two levels full of art! ๐Ÿ–ผ๏ธ

Which is your favourite? ๐Ÿ‘‡

Mimi Spirits โœจTall, slender and graceful, Mimi spirits are among the best-known ancestral beings in Arnhem Land art. ๐ŸŽจMi...
01/10/2026

Mimi Spirits โœจ

Tall, slender and graceful, Mimi spirits are among the best-known ancestral beings in Arnhem Land art. ๐ŸŽจ

Mimi's are said to live throughout the rock country of Arnhem land. According to the stories, they taught people how to hunt, prepare food, paint and dance. They are so thin and fragile that they shelter in rock crevices, safe from the wind.

This painting shows a figure in the classic Mimi style: long, elegant limbs, a body filled with fine rarrk (cross-hatching) in red, yellow, white and black ochre tones, and bold white outlines. The earthy background echoes the rock and bark surfaces where these stories have been told for generations. ๐Ÿชจ

https://readbackaboriginalart.com/collections/see-all-art-work

Wild Desert Flowers in Bloom ๐ŸŒธby Lanita Numina | Amnatajerre / Kaytetye | Utopia North, Central DesertSoft mint greens d...
30/09/2026

Wild Desert Flowers in Bloom ๐ŸŒธ
by Lanita Numina | Amnatajerre / Kaytetye | Utopia North, Central Desert

Soft mint greens dancing over coral reds, blush pinks and creamy yellows. ๐ŸŽจ

In this acrylic on canvas, Lanita Numina paints the desert after rain, when wildflowers spread across Country in layer upon layer of blooms. Rather than the traditional earthy ochres, Lanita works in a fresh, contemporary palette: pastel mint and powdery pink against warm coral, with tiny flecks of dark dotted through like seeds scattered on the ground.

The dabbed, textured brushwork gives the whole canvas a shimmering, almost floral-print feel. It's a modern way of telling a very old story of the plants and flowers that grow on Country and the land that sustains them. ๐ŸŒฟ

The soft, sun-washed tones would sit beautifully in a modern home, from a calm bedroom to a bright living space. โœจ

Which colour draws your eye first? ๐Ÿ‘‡

The Tiwi Islands ๐Ÿ๏ธLocated around 80km north of Darwin in the Timor Sea, the Tiwi Islands are made up of Bathurst Island...
30/09/2026

The Tiwi Islands ๐Ÿ๏ธ

Located around 80km north of Darwin in the Timor Sea, the Tiwi Islands are made up of Bathurst Island and Melville Island, home to the Tiwi people. Separated from the mainland for thousands of years, the Tiwi developed their own distinct language, ceremonies and art style, quite different from Central Desert traditions. ๐ŸŽจ

Tiwi artists work traditionally with natural ochres sourced from the land: earthy tones of red, yellow and black, alongside white pipeclay. These pigments are ground and mixed by hand, then applied using a distinctive technique. Rather than the dot work associated with Central Desert art, Tiwi artists are known for bold, freehand line work, cross-hatching and organic patterns, often painted with a sharpened stick, brush or comb-like tool.

The result is artwork that feels bold, graphic and instantly recognisable: a striking contrast to the dot-based styles of the Central and Western Desert. โœจ

Address

32 Smith Street CBD Mall/Star Village
Darwin, NT
0800

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 4pm

Telephone

+61889818885

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