Ngiyaningy Maran Yaliwaunga Ngaara-li

The exhibition Ngiyaningy Maran Yaliwaunga Ngaara-li (Our Ancestors Are Always Watching) invites visitors to experience what McGrady describes as ‘a kaleidoscopic compendium of Aboriginal contemporary history’. Deadly moments come to life through her powerful studies in movement, portraiture, and tender observations of Elders, leaders, families, youth, creatives, activists, and cultural warriors. Each photograph is grounded in McGrady’s deep connections to community.
Photo: Barbara Mcgrady (With John Janson-Moore), ‘Ngiyaningy Maran Yaliwaunga Ngaara-Li (Our Ancestors Are Always Watching)’, 2020. Installation View For The 22Nd Biennale Of Sydney (2020). Photograph: Zan Wimberley.
McGrady is a highly respected Gomeroi / Gamilaraay Murri Yinnah Elder and one of Australia’s leading photographers. Inspired by her deep spiritual connection to Country, she has celebrated Blak beauty, strength, resilience and excellence for more than five decades. At the heart of her artistic practice is a commitment to recognising the contributions of individuals to change society and their gifts to the future for generations to come.
With an $80,000 prize pool, it represents a global selection of the best work from emerging and established photographers.
The Head On Photo Festival 2025 is back this November, transforming Sydney into a photography haven with major exhibitions