Puturba Rockhole, Lucy Yukenbarri (1996). Courtesy Mercer Art Gallery

Contemporary Australian Aboriginal art is being celebrated at a new exhibition in North Yorkshire.

The Songlines exhibition runs from September 16 2005 until January 16 2006 at the Mercer Art Gallery in Harrogate. Contemporary painting, prints and sculpture by top Aboriginal artists will be shown, with work coming from across Australia’s regions.

“Songlines provides a rare chance to see a magnificent display of contemporary Aboriginal art in the north of England and we look forward to welcoming many new visitors to the Mercer to enjoy it,” said Jane Sellars, curator of art at the Mercer.

Water Dreaming, Ronnie Tjampitjinpa (1996). Courtesy Mercer Art Gallery

Aboriginal Australia is made up of many different nations and linguistic groups, each with their own unique artistic heritage. Songlines groups the artworks according to these regions, including the Balgo Hills, the Papunya, the Lajamanu and the Yuendumu with works by more than 50 artists on show.

Along with the paintings, print and sculpture is a series of photographs by Penny Tweedie documenting Aboriginal communities, placing the artwork in the context of the people who make it.

Old Man Kurtal, David Downs (1990). Courtesy Mercer Art Gallery

Tweedie has been photographing these communities for more than 30 years and shows how art is central to Aboriginal life. It links the past with the present, expresses individual and cultural identity and the relationship between the people and the land.

The exhibition will be complemented by a series of talks and activities for local schools including a week-long residency by the celebrated Aboriginal writer, Herb Wharton, who will be giving workshops for young people and a public lecture.