6:30 PM | Conversation 
7:30 PM | Reception 

Join Asia Society for a profound and timely conversation that builds upon the momentum of our critically acclaimed exhibition Maḏayin: Eight Decades of Aboriginal Australian Bark Painting from Yirrkala which closed in January to extraordinary praise. 

Cross Currents: Collecting Australian Indigenous Art With Respect and Resonance will bring together the voices of renowned Yolŋu artist Mayatili Marika, leading curator Kelli Cole, distinguished collectors Steve Martin and John Wilkerson, art market reporter Eileen Kinsella, and D’Lan Contemporary Founder + Director, D'Lan Davidson for a dynamic dialogue moderated by Michelle Yun Mapplethorpe, Director and Chief Curator of the Katonah Museum of Art.

This illuminating program explores the ethical, cultural, and emotional dimensions of collecting Indigenous Australian art in today’s global art world. Together, our speakers will reflect on how collectors, curators, and communities can engage in practices that honor the deep traditions, histories, and voices of Indigenous artists - ensuring their work resonates with authenticity and respect across continents.

Don’t miss this opportunity to be part of a continuing story - one that honors the past, confronts the present, and shapes a more respectful future in the arts.

Buy your ticket to reserve your seat today.  

SPEAKERS

A proud Warumunga and Luritja woman, Kelli Cole has extensive curatorial experience and previously was Curator of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art at the National Gallery of Australia (NGA) since 2007. Her notable projects include co-curating the Emily Kam Kngwarray at the NGA and more recently as lead curator for Emily Kam Kngwarray at Tate Modern, London. Her other curatorial work includes, Resolution and Body Language, as well as being integral to all three, National Indigenous Art Triennial at the NGA. She was recognised with the Australia Council Visual Arts curatorial fellowship in 2014, and is recognised for her work with Desart, and her deep connection to Aboriginal art in Central Australia. Kelli was appointment as Director of Curatorial and Engagement for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Gallery of Australia (ATSIAGA) in February 2024.

Steve Martin is one of the most celebrated talents in American entertainment, with a career spanning comedy, film, music, and writing. He is the recipient of an Academy Award®, five Grammy® Awards, an Emmy®, the Mark Twain Prize, and Kennedy Center Honors. Beyond his widely recognized work in film and television, Martin is also a Grammy-winning bluegrass musician and bestselling author, with publications including Born Standing Up, An Object of Beauty, and Number One Is Walking. His passion for the arts extends to collecting, particularly in the field of Australian Indigenous art. Over the years, he and his wife Anne Stringfield have built one of the most significant private collections of this category in the United States. Martin has lent works from his collection to major museum exhibitions and frequently advocates for wider institutional recognition of Indigenous artists. He currently stars in and co-produces Hulu’s acclaimed series Only Murders in the Building.

John Wilkerson recognized early in their 55-year marriage that they had both inherited a "collecting gene!" Their wide-ranging collections reflect their mostly shared tastes. You might be greeted in their foyer with life-sized wooden folk-art figures, and across their dining table, you’ll see outsider artists like Bill Traylor and Martin Ramirez. The meeting of their artistic tastes was never more evident than in 1994, when they traveled to Australia to visit their son, Chris. There, they were introduced to the world of Aboriginal art—beginning a 30-year journey of collecting. Both were struck by their mutual reaction to “the early boards,” particularly works from Papunya. The Wilkersons now have around 80 Australian Indigenous paintings, including over 50 early Papunya boards. The collection has been shown in U.S. museums, at the Australian Embassy, returned to Australia for an exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), and traveled to Paris to the Musée du Quai Branly. Their collecting is guided by three core values: Connoisseurship, Scholarship, and Education.

Mayatili Marika is a Rirratjingu Traditional Owner and Yolŋu woman based in northeast Arnhem Land. Part of a new generation of leadership for Yolŋu people, she is a bilingual leader and advocate who is involved in the education pipeline for Yolŋu people in the region. For over a decade Marika has been the Cultural Curator and programmer of the Garma Festival  in northeast Arnhem Land. She also works for the University of Melbourne, where her role provides cultural knowledge, leadership and support for the University’s strategy and partnerships in northeast Arnhem Land.

Eileen Kinsella has been senior market reporter for Artnet News for the past 11 years, covering issues ranging from international auctions, to legal matters, and important art law cases that have established precedence for ownership, authenticity and provenance among other art related matters. Prior to Artnet, she worked for ARTnews magazine for over a decade, covering similar issues related to the art market.  She began her journalism career at the Wall Street Journal where she wrote about equity markets, mutual funds, and commercial real estate before joining the paper’s Weekend Section to cover the art market.  She has appeared on and moderated art market panels, and made numerous television appearances including on CNBC, BBC, and Reuters, as well as on Artnet’s own podcast "The Art Angle" and BBC Radio and The ArtTactic podcast.

D’Lan Davidson has over 20 years’ experience as a leading international Australian Indigenous art consultant and gallerist. In 2016, after over 10 years working with galleries and auction houses, D’Lan established D’Lan Contemporary. As Director & Founder, D’Lan works closely with collectors, gallerists and institutions around the world to source, exhibit, buy and sell exceptional works of art by Australia’s leading First Nations artists and to raise awareness and appreciation in Australia and overseas. In 2019, D’Lan helped curate the Collection of Steve Martin & Anne Stringfield at Gagosian Gallery, New York, which was later exhibited at Gagosian L.A. In 2023, he helped curate 60 Over 50, an exhibition of works from the private collections of John and Barbara Wilkerson and Steve Martin and Anne Stringfield in New York. D’Lan is committed to creating a sustainable marketplace for this important segment of Australian art and culture. The gallery maintains and advocates for strict ethical practices and contributes 30% of its net profits to artists, artist projects and their communities.

Michelle Yun Mapplethorpe (moderator) is Director and Chief Curator of the Katonah Museum of Art. She was formerly Vice President for Global Artistic Programs and Director of the Asia Society Museum, following her tenure as Senior Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art. She has served in curatorial capacities at Hunter College, Cai Guo-Qiang’s studio, and the Painting and Sculpture Department at MoMA. Yun Mapplethorpe is a widely published author and frequent lecturer on modern and contemporary art.

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