Fondation Opale in Lens, Switzerland, has unveiled "ROOTS," a major exhibition that bridges Australian Aboriginal art with Western contemporary masterpieces. Curated by Samuel Gross, the show juxtaposes works by Aboriginal artists like Keith Stevens and Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri with global icons including Olafur Eliasson, Sheila Hicks, and Niki de Saint-Phalle. The exhibition utilizes the unique alpine setting to explore themes of materiality, ancestral territory, and the universal human creative impulse across different geographies and epochs.
This exhibition is significant as it highlights Fondation Opale’s status as Europe’s premier center for Aboriginal art, supported by the extensive collection of the Primat family. By placing indigenous Australian traditions in direct dialogue with Western iconoclasts and historical scientific artifacts, the show challenges traditional ethnographic categorizations. It positions Aboriginal art not as a historical relic, but as a vital, contemporary force capable of engaging with global modernism and conceptual art on equal footing.