Booth I3
Temporal Legacies
19 - 22 February 2026
MARS Gallery (Booth I3) will present a significant line-up of First Nations artists in Temporal Legacies for Melbourne Art Fair 2026 between 19 – 22 February. Spotlighting works deeply imbued in recontextualising Country, the artists in this exhibition investigate the complexities of First Nations heritage through their unique voices.
Temporal Legacies will unveil exceptional and arresting new works across different mediums by artists Jenna Lee (Larrakia), Damien Shen (Ngarrindjeri), Cassie Sullivan (lutruwita/Tasmanian), Georgia Boseley (Central and Eastern Arrernte) and Madi Mercer (Wadawurrung).
As one of the oldest continuous living cultures in the world, these artists reflect on past legacies and community in their practice. What connects them all is their extensive knowledge and commitment to reclaiming and celebrating their cultural identity. Temporal Legacies honours the resilient life force of Australia’s Indigenous history.
Award-winning Indigenous author and activist, Tony Birch, recognised for his powerful, compassionate storytelling and his exploration of Aboriginal history, identity and resilience proudly introduces MARS’ Temporal Legacies in a new catalogue essay titled Soft Power.
Birch writes, "Each of the artists involved in Temporal Legacies assert their sovereignty with their work. But they also do so through their identities. By this, don’t be mistaken. These artists are not on display. They are not articulating an essentialist version of Aboriginality, to satisfy the white gaze. These remarkable people are activists in the true sense of the work. Their works are acts of First Nations speech."
