Midnight Dreaming

Gallery

Paintings, weaving, exhibitions, community, dance and campaign — the world of Midnight Dreaming.

108 photographs — every one of them hers

Paintings & studio

Whole works, on the wall and in the studio — rings, pathways, waterways and Country.

Painting by Renae Lamb — deep concentric rings across a large pink canvas — Rings, at full canvas scale

Painting by Renae Lamb — dense ochre concentric rings

Three small paintings by Renae Lamb, hung as a group

Painting by Renae Lamb — radiating coral strokes on turquoise

Painting by Renae Lamb — rings and pathways in pink and coral

Painting by Renae Lamb — a single pink current across a pale ground

Painting by Renae Lamb — lilac and pink rings over blue

Painting by Renae Lamb, in detail — layered contour rings in blue and white

Two framed paintings by Renae Lamb on the gallery wall

A hang of small framed works by Renae Lamb

Framed painting by Renae Lamb — dark layered strata lines

Three framed works by Renae Lamb on the gallery wall

Framed painting by Renae Lamb — coral ground with layered marks

Painting by Renae Lamb — orange ground with inscribed lines

Two panels by Renae Lamb — rings over pink and blue

Painting by Renae Lamb — river lines in earth tones

Painting by Renae Lamb — rings and pathways on blue

Painting by Renae Lamb — black contour lines over orange

Painting by Renae Lamb — layered lines over an orange ground

Painting by Renae Lamb — concentric rings in blue and pink

Large painting by Renae Lamb — pathways, rings and gathering places in pink, coral and violet

Painting by Renae Lamb — flowing pathways in pink and gold

Gilli Watta — exhibition view at the Creator Incubator, works by Renae Lamb — Gilli Watta — Creator Incubator, July 2024

Large canvas by Renae Lamb in the studio — rings, weave and waterways

A painting by Renae Lamb in progress on the studio table

Three paintings by Renae Lamb hung together — pink and lilac — Three works, hung together

Painting by Renae Lamb — a coolamon over a magenta ground

Painting by Renae Lamb — coral and violet concentric rings

Painting by Renae Lamb — a lilac coolamon on a brown ground

Painting by Renae Lamb — figures across an orange and red ground

Painting by Renae Lamb — waterways in blue and lilac

Painting by Renae Lamb — radiating strokes on a turquoise ground

Painting by Renae Lamb — pink ground with orange framing marks

Framed painting by Renae Lamb — gold and black

Painting by Renae Lamb hung on the gallery wall — orange figures

Painting by Renae Lamb hung on the gallery wall — orange and pink

Five small works by Renae Lamb hung as a group

Four small works by Renae Lamb hung as a group

Painting by Renae Lamb, in detail — a blue work close up

Painting by Renae Lamb, in detail — the orange series

Painting by Renae Lamb, in detail — the orange series, second frame

A painted possum-skin cloak by Renae Lamb, on the studio table — A painted possum-skin cloak, on the studio table

Gilli Watta — Renae Lamb’s 2024 exhibition at the Creator Incubator, the works hung together

“On this land, never ceded and forever stolen. Always was, always will be Aboriginal land.”

Renae Lamb

Closing line of the Gilli Watta curatorial statement, 2024

Gilli Watta — Renae Lamb’s 2024 exhibition at the Creator Incubator, the works hung together

Weaving & fibre

Coiled lomandra and raffia, emu feather and story — ancient technique, living practice.

Woven pieces by Renae Lamb hung beside her handwritten poem, Blue Bird Keeper of the Sacred Soul — Her poem “Blue Bird Keeper of the Sacred Soul”, hung with her weaving

Coiled woven vessel by Renae Lamb in burgundy raffia

Coiled woven basket by Renae Lamb — teal over yellow

Woven wall work by Renae Lamb in pinks

Woven vessels by Renae Lamb on the exhibition table

Woven pieces by Renae Lamb, hung with feathers

Coiled weaving by Renae Lamb with emu feather

Woven headpiece by Renae Lamb, worn for dance

Framed mixed-media weaving by Renae Lamb — grasses, bark and painted stones

The Blue Bird Keeper wall, closer — Renae Lamb’s weaving and handwriting

Coiled weaving by Renae Lamb with an emu feather, close

Coral and yellow woven forms by Renae Lamb on the wall carrying her poem The Bad Man

Exhibitions

Openings, hangs and the people who came — Gilli Watta, Bangang Daangang and beyond.

A full hang of Renae Lamb’s pink works with visitors in the space — A full hang of her work, with visitors in the room

Exhibition opening — works by Renae Lamb on the gallery wall — Exhibition opening

Exhibition opening — visitors with Renae Lamb’s works

Renae Lamb in her own design, in front of her painting at an exhibition — Renae, in her own design, before her painting

A painting by Renae Lamb held by the group who worked on it together

Renae Lamb with fellow artists at an exhibition opening — Opening night

Renae Lamb speaking at an artist talk — Artist talk

Five women and a child in front of Renae Lamb’s hung works

Renae Lamb in her own print, her framed works behind the counter

Three visitors in front of a large lilac work by Renae Lamb

Renae Lamb in a printed dress beside her handwritten poem The Bad Man and her coral and yellow weavings — Renae beside her poem “The Bad Man”, studio wall

Renae Lamb in profile against a hand-print artwork wall

A painting by Renae Lamb in progress on the studio table — © Renae Lamb · ICIP protected

Everything here started on canvas

The swim prints, the runway pieces, the uniforms — all of them come off a painting made first. This is one of them.

Renae LambA painting in progress, in the studio

Community & workshops

Weaving, murals, ground paintings and gatherings across the Hunter and NSW.

A collaborative ground mural under way at a community workshop — A ground mural under way

Ephemeral sand work — concentric circles laid in white sand — Ephemeral work in white sand

Ma & Morley Scholars Program event — Ma & Morley Scholars Program

Ochre shared by hand at a cultural gathering — Ochre, shared by hand

A community group with a finished painting, on Country — A community painting, finished together

A workplace cultural workshop with Renae Lamb — weaving in progress — A workplace cultural workshop

Kids learning to weave at a Midnight Dreaming workshop — Weaving workshop

A community mural designed with Renae Lamb — Community mural

Two women with ochre, at a cultural gathering

Renae Lamb beside her blue contour-line painting

Renae Lamb in front of a mural in progress

Painted emu egg by Renae Lamb — Painted emu egg

Newcastle Knights players in the 2025 Indigenous jersey — Nginhabulagu, designed by Renae Lamb — Newcastle Knights 2025 Indigenous jersey — Nginhabulagu, designed by Renae

A public artwork by Renae Lamb in steel, during fabrication — Public artwork in steel, during fabrication

Renae Lamb running an outdoor session with kids — An outdoor session with the kids

Ma & Morley Scholars standing in a circle by the water — Ma & Morley Scholars, by the water

Renae Lamb’s public artwork on the fabrication floor, second angle — The same work on the fabrication floor, second angle

Renae Lamb on Country in her own print set — On Country, in her own print set

Community march — a still from the Midnight Dreaming community film — From the community — Midnight Dreaming out in the world

Renae’s story — Ma & Morley Scholars Program film still — Renae’s story — Ma & Morley Scholars Program, University of Newcastle

Dance

Midnight Dreaming Dance Co — from the beach to the Sydney Opera House.

Midnight Dreaming dancers at Dance Rites 2024, Sydney Opera House. Photo: Daniel Boud — Dance Rites 2024, Sydney Opera House. Photo: Daniel Boud

Dancer in a Midnight Dreaming design with ochre, before the ocean — Before the ocean, ochre on

Midnight Dreaming dancers performing on the beach — Dancing on the beach

Midnight Dreaming dance uniforms on stage — On stage in Midnight Dreaming uniforms

Dancers on stage in Midnight Dreaming uniforms

Dancers mid-performance in Midnight Dreaming purple prints — Mid-performance

Painting by Renae Lamb — concentric rings in blue and pink — © Renae Lamb · ICIP protected

Runway & campaign

Swim and story shot where the designs come from, and the collection on the catwalk.

Swim campaign — the full group in Midnight Dreaming swim prints along the ocean baths wall — Swim, at the ocean baths

Swim campaign — models in Midnight Dreaming swim prints lined along the baths pavilion — The full range, worn together

Swim campaign — diving into the ocean pool in a Midnight Dreaming print — Into the water the designs came from

Swim campaign — poolside in Midnight Dreaming swim prints — Poolside

Swim campaign — the group seated together above the sea — Above the sea

Swim campaign — kids wrapped in Midnight Dreaming towels — Little dreamers

Swim campaign — the group with hands raised at the ocean baths — The swim campaign

Swim campaign — seated on the boardwalk in Midnight Dreaming prints — On the boardwalk

Campaign — a Midnight Dreaming shawl worn on Country — A Midnight Dreaming shawl, on Country

On Country — ochre and a Midnight Dreaming print at the rocks — Ochre and print, at the rocks

Garment detail — a Renae Lamb print in orange, pink and blue — Print detail

Runway finale — Midnight Dreaming swim on the catwalk — Runway finale

Runway — Midnight Dreaming swim collection on the catwalk

Runway — a Midnight Dreaming print carried down the catwalk

Runway — Midnight Dreaming design mid-walk

Runway — the audience watching a Midnight Dreaming design pass

Runway — Midnight Dreaming swim against the film backdrop — Swim against the film backdrop

Runway — the pink contour-line dress on the catwalk — The contour-line dress

Every photograph here is Renae’s own work or her own record of it. Titles for most paintings are still being recorded with her, so they are captioned honestly rather than named for her. 2 rehearsal frames carrying another photographer’s watermark are held back until Renae confirms permission.

Painting by Renae Lamb — lilac and pink rings over blue — © Renae Lamb · ICIP protected

See the paintings themselves

Every work in Original Art is listed with its language name, Country and the story in Renae’s own words.

Renae LambTitle awaiting Renae