The partnership kicked off with a bold series of abstract paintings by First Nations and Hungarian artist Tiarna Herczeg, created to mark the opening of the new 345 George Street location. Ash Holmes followed as the second exhibiting artist, presenting work alongside a denim campaign that featured both the artist and her practice. Diana Miller’s contribution combined gestural, textured surfaces with bold, flat planes of colour, creating depth through contrast and spatial tension. This was succeeded by Leonie Barton’s intimate abstract paintings, which traced her relocation to regional New South Wales and reflected on how a shifting landscape informs ideas of continuity and heritage within the R.M.Williams narrative.

Gumbaynggir and Bundjalung artist Charmaine Davis presented Waterways and Wonder, a series tracing significant waterways that connect place, memory, and lineage – from her home near Maiwar (the Brisbane River), to the Auburn River in Queensland flowing through Rockybar, the family home of founder Reginald Murray Williams; onward to Minderoo on the Ashburton River in Western Australia, home of the brand’s current custodians; and finally to Sydney Harbour, where the works were exhibited.

The program concluded with Morgan Stokes’ Where The Body Ends, an exploration of the material history of a storied Australian brand. The works reimagined the relationship between craft, material, and experience, bridging the traditional components of painting – stretcher bars, cloth, and paint – with discontinued leather and suede salvaged from R.M.Williams’ Adelaide factory.

These six incredible artists merged materiality with storytelling to extend the voices that tell the story of an Australian icon. By embedding contemporary art within a commercial flagship, the Curatorial+Co. x R.M.Williams partnership pushed the boundaries of both retail and exhibition-making, creating a sustained platform for artists outside the gallery walls, while upholding the brand’s commitment to craftsmanship and artisan-led creativity.