Award-winning choreographer Annalouise Paul makes contemporary art debut with an immersive new exhibition

Acclaimed choreographer, dancer and interdisciplinary artist Annalouise Paul will make her contemporary art debut at Walker Street Gallery and Arts Centre this September with Uncharted Waters. The Journey of Mother Tongue, a new exhibition drawing on more than fifteen years of research through her ongoing project Mother Tongue®. The exhibition also marks the first time Paul’s work has been presented in Melbourne and Victoria.

Presented and produced by Greater Dandenong City Council and curated by Miriam La Rosa, the exhibition runs from 9 September to 14 November 2026 and centres on Primordial (2026), a newly commissioned dance film presented within a spiral-shaped architectural installation.

Marking a significant new chapter in Paul’s practice, the exhibition expands her acclaimed choreographic work into a contemporary art environment, bringing together movement, image, sound and architecture in new ways. The presentation of this new commission reflects Greater Dandenong City Council’s focus on ambitious contemporary art and innovative cultural practice.

Rather than viewing the work from a fixed position, visitors are invited to enter the spiral and move through the installation. As they do, shifting perspectives reveal an unfolding choreography of movement, sound, image and space, transforming the gallery into an immersive environment where contemporary art, dance and architecture converge.

“What if language began in the body?” says Paul. “For me, dance is a mother tongue. Through movement, we can access ways of knowing, remembering and connecting that exist beyond words. This exhibition invites audiences to explore the languages that shape our relationships with one another, our communities and the world around us.”

The exhibition expands upon more than fifteen years of research through Mother Tongue®, Paul’s interdisciplinary project exploring culture, memory and embodied knowledge through collaboration with dancers, musicians, designers and technologists from different cultural contexts including Torres Strait, North India, West Africa, Sumatra, Brazil and Polynesia among others.

Known for her work across performance, film, theatre, opera and community-engaged practice, Paul has built an international reputation for creating works that draw together living traditions, intercultural exchange and her Sephardic heritage, particularly its connections to the flamenco traditions of Spain. Through Uncharted Waters. The Journey of Mother Tongue, this long-running body of research is translated into a sensory experience to be watched, walked and felt.

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