Ngununggula appoints Leigh Robb as CEO/Director of Southern Highlands gallery

Ngununggula has announced today the appointment of Leigh Robb as the new CEO/Director of the Southern Highlands gallery, commencing on 23 November 2026.

Leigh is an experienced arts leader and curator with over 20 years of experience working with galleries and cultural institutions in Australia, the UK and Italy. 

She is currently the Curator of Contemporary Art at the Art Gallery of South Australia, where she oversees a collection spanning Australian and international art from 1980 to today.  She has worked at the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts (PICA), and internationally at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, and Thomas Dane Gallery in London. 

With a reputation for commissioning significant contemporary projects and raising the profile of Australian and First Nations artists, Leigh is interested in challenging curatorial models and creating transformative experiences for artists and audiences. 

She has curated over sixty exhibitions including at AGSA: the 2020 Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art: Monster Theatres; Versus Rodin: Bodies across space and time; Chiharu Shiota: Absence Embodied; co-curated Radical Textiles, and most recently the UNSW galleries touring survey exhibition, James Tylor: Turrangka...in the shadows.

Lisa Fowler, Chair of the Board of Directors, said of the appointment: “On behalf of the Board at Ngununggula, I am thrilled to welcome Leigh Robb as the new CEO/Director of Ngununggula. 

"Leigh was selected from a highly competitive line-up of experienced candidates who demonstrated outstanding ability and achievements. With a depth of experience working with major artists, curators and museum directors, we are confident Leigh will be able to lead us into the next exciting phase for the gallery, as we celebrate our five year milestone this month. 

"Through her vast experience working with some of the most significant artists and institutions of our time, both within Australia and internationally, and her strong reputation in the sector, we look forward to the leadership Leigh will bring to Ngununggula.”

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Ngununggula (@ngununggula)

Leigh Robb said of the appointment: ‘I’m honoured to take up the role of CEO/Director at Ngununggula at such an exciting moment for the organisation. 

"I’ve visited many times since it opened and have been impressed at the ambition of its exhibitions and how it has quickly earned a reputation nationally for bold programs across contemporary and historic shows, centering First Nations practices, and creating career-defining opportunities for artists. 

"Its name, Ngununggula, was gifted by the late Aunty Velma Mulcahy OAM and means ‘belonging to the people’ in Gundungurra language. 

“More than a gallery, Ngununggula is a responsive and vital gathering place that connects communities through its dynamic programs. It is a privilege to join the team and be given the opportunity to lead Ngununggula into its next chapter, further establishing it as a cultural destination known for offering transformative encounters for audiences through art.”

Ngununggula to open Stories exhibition

Ngununggula will next weekend open Stories from a small country town – a major exhibition to headline its Spring/Summer exhibition season. 

Featuring two of Australia’s foremost artists, Archie Moore and Daniel Boyd, and curated by one of Australia’s most senior First Nations voices, Djon Mundine, Stories from a small country town is an exploration of memory and belonging, tracing the odyssey-like journeys of both artists — what it means to venture far from home and what it means to return. 

Presented from 31 October 2026 to 14 February 2027, it explores heritage and belonging for Daniel, a Kudjala, Ghungalu, Wangerriburra, Wakka Wakka, Gubbi Gubbi, Kuku Yalanji, Bandjalung and Yuggera man with ni-Vanuatu heritage, and Archie Moore, a Kamilaroi/Bigambul man.

This month, Ngununggula is celebrating five years since opening. Set within the historic grounds of Retford Park, a property gifted to the National Trust by the late James Fairfax AC, Ngununggula is the result of an extraordinary collaboration between community, government, philanthropy and passionate supporters, and stands as a testament to what can be achieved when a community comes together with a shared vision.