Gumbaynggirr artist Aretha Brown is bringing her first solo exhibition to Abbotsford Convent this September, filling the historic North Laundry with large-scale works exploring love, dating, identity and the messy business of being human.
Born Romantic runs from 25 September to 4 October 2026, marking a new chapter for the Melbourne-based artist, muralist and screenwriter known for her expansive public artworks and unapologetic social commentary.
The exhibition takes its title from Brown’s observation, “The only thing harder than being born Aboriginal, gay and a woman is being born … a romantic.”
Rather than treating Aboriginal art as something that must always educate or explain, Born Romantic offers a deeply personal look at Brown’s experience as a young, queer, Blak woman.
Brown said, “In the age of the internet, I’ve chosen a post-cringe perspective on the meaning of love, dating and romance; leaning into the vulnerable, awkward and the uncomfortable.
“Born Romantic is my love letter to being embarrassingly human. It’s sexy, stupid, tender, awkward, and a little bit perverted.”
Brown has created more than 65 murals and public artworks across Australia and internationally, including projects in London, New Delhi, New York, Toronto, Tokyo and Osaka. She has also collaborated with artists including Kneecap and Amyl and the Sniffers.
Her monumental 40-metre timeline mural, The Birth of a Nation: The True History of Australia, featured in the National Gallery of Australia’s 2025 National Indigenous Art Triennial.
Now, her work is moving into one of Melbourne’s most distinctive exhibition spaces, the former Magdalen Laundry at Abbotsford Convent.
Born Romantic is open from 10am to 6pm daily from 26 September to 4 October, with an opening night event also taking place.
Get tickets and find more information about Born Romantic at Abbotsford Convent
