Professor Brian Martin

Professor Brian Martin

Professor Brian Martin

Director, Wominjeka Djeembana Indigenous Research Lab

Department of Fine Art


Monash University Research Portal

Graduate research supervisor

Professor Brian Martin is the director of Wominjeka Djeembana Indigenous Research Lab. Brian is a descendant of Bundjalung, Muruwari and Kamilaroi peoples.

In 2022, Brian was awarded a three-year appointment to the Australian Research Council’s College of Experts where he’ll play a key role in identifying research excellence, assessing funding applications and providing strategic advice to the ARC.

Brian is represented by William Mora Galleries. He has been a practising artist for thirty years and has exhibited both nationally and internationally specifically in the media of painting and drawing. His research and practice focuses on refiguring creative practice and culture from an Indigenous ideological perspective based on a reciprocal relationship to “Country”. Brian was the inaugural Associate Dean Indigenous at Monash University Art, Design and Architecture and previously Professor and Head of Research at the Institute of Koorie Education at Deakin University. He is also Honorary Professor of Eminence at Centurion University of Technology and Management in Odisha, India, Board Director National Theatre Melbourne, Board Member for Shepparton Art Museum and the Melbourne Art Foundation.

News & events

Recent news

Upcoming events

Gamilaraay community welcomes return of sacred tree

The Gamilaraay community from north-east New South Wales has welcomed the return of a highly significant carved tree, known as a dhulu, during a special event in Canberra.

Tree of knowledge: Sacred dhulu’s return to Country carves pathways of understanding

The journey of a Gamilaraay dhulu, a sacred tree, as it returns to Australia after 80-plus years in a Swiss museum, is a story that highlights cultural resilience, the importance of Indigenous heritage, and the profound relationships formed through respectful collaboration.

Research


More than a guulany (tree): Aboriginal knowledge systems

An Indigenous-led study of the significance of trees in southeast Australian Aboriginal cultures.

Repairing Memory & Place

An Indigenous-led approach to urban water design.

Protocols for Indigenous-led creative practice

How can Indigenous Design Charters improve engagement with Indigenous knowledge in professional creative practice?