Australian ‘Seven Sisters’ exhibition begins in Delhi

The exhibition features nearly 300 paintings, objects, performances and multimedia works that narrate the journey of the Seven Sisters across Australia’s Western and Central Desert regions.

A major travelling exhibition on one of the most well-known creation stories of Australia’s First Nations communities opened in Delhi on Friday, bringing the Seven Sisters songline to the Humayun’s Tomb Museum. Titled “Songlines: Tracking the Seven Sisters”, the exhibition has been developed by the National Museum of Australia in partnership with the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art and marks its India debut.

Preview evening of Songlines: Tracking the Seven Sisters. (Source: Kiran Nadar Museum of Art)

The exhibition features nearly 300 paintings, objects, performances and multimedia works that narrate the journey of the Seven Sisters across Australia’s Western and Central Desert regions. A KNMA official said it highlights five sections of Indigenous songlines, showing how the sisters “fled along ancestral routes, across deserts, pursued relentlessly by a sorcerer.” Life-sized grass and wire sculptures, intricate wood carvings and large-scale paintings recreate scenes from the mythic travels, while immersive video installations allow viewers to hear directly from First Nations people.

Visitors can also step inside a dome where animated artworks and constellations associated with the Seven Sisters unfold overhead. The exhibition aims to replicate the experience of travelling the songline itself, organisers said. The exhibition, which opened in Australia in 2017 and has travelled to Berlin, Paris and Finland, will remain on display in Delhi till March 15, 2026.

Among those present was Pantjiti Lewis, a 63-year-old ambassador from the First Nations of Australia. Lewis said the story had been passed down in her family for generations. “When I was small, I would lie in my aunt’s lap as she would narrate the story of the seven sisters who travelled across the country. She was told the story by my grandmother, who was told the story by her mother, and so on,” she said. Lewis added that the story explains how the land came to be understood. “We believe that the place you are born in becomes a part of you, and because of that relationship, you can understand the country better.”

Explaining the meaning of a songline, she said it is a route believed to have been travelled by creator beings. “This follows the journey of the seven sisters, who are central to our understanding of the world. Their journey across the country is how we understand the development of different features along it. For instance, if you see seven waterholes, we understand that as seven women.”

Shreya Gupta, an attendee, said the exhibition helped her understand a concept she had earlier found abstract. “As someone who had never heard about the story of the seven sisters before, I loved the exhibition. The different art forms, and especially the videos, are the perfect way to understand the culture on display,” she said.

KNMA founder and chairperson Kiran Nadar said the aim was to merge ancient storytelling with modern media. “By merging ancient storytelling traditions with cutting-edge technology, the exhibition invites audiences in India to experience a journey that transcends geography and time,” she said.