Art Live: Ever Present

Welcome and Smoking Ceremony

5.30pm
Main Entrance
Drop-in
Take part in this First Nations ceremony that welcomes, protects and cleanses the space, setting the scene for the evening as we come together to connect, celebrate and learn.

Collaborative bloom installation with Brian Robinson

6–8pm
Gandel Hall
Drop-in, limited capacity

Join Maluyligal/Wuthathi/Dayak artist, Brian Robinson, in a workshop to create sculptural blooms that can be added to a collaborative installation. Take home your individual creation!

Weaving workshop

6–7.30pm
Gallery 3 (Level 1)
Drop-in, limited capacity

Create baskets and dilly bags with Wiradjuri artist, Jessika Spencer.

Performances

6–8.45pm
Australian Garden (Ground Level)

Drop-in

Enjoy a stellar line up of First Nations musicians and performers in the Australian Garden. Plus, free refreshments!

6pm – Tahalianna
6.30pm – Femme Normale
7pm – Lemonise
7.45pm – Batjula

Curator’s talk with Adam Ford

6.30–7.30pm
Gallery 1 (Level 1)
Drop-in, limited capacity

Join Adam Ford, Associate Curator, First Nations Art, Nyoongar people, for an introduction to Ever Present: First Nations Art of Australia.

Badge making with the Youth Council

6–9pm
Main Foyer (Ground Level)
Drop-in

Join Youth Council members in an ideas exchange while making memento badges.

Quiet space

6–9pm
Gallery 4A (Level 1)
Drop-in

Need a bit of a break? Visit our quite space and recharge for as long or as little as you want. Drawing materials provided.

Brian Robinson
Maluyligal/Wuthathi/Dayak peoples

My artworks present an intoxicating worldview where signs, symbols and pop culture are interwoven with ancestral narratives creating works that retell oral and written histories, mythology, politics, and spirituality. Spanning graphic prints, contemporary sculptures, drawings, paintings, and public art - each artistic area offers an insight into how I think, how I react, what I see and how I engage with the outside world.

Jessika Spencer
Wiradjuri people

Jessika Spencer is a Wiradjuri artist from the Sandhills of Narrungdera (Narrandera), New South Wales. For the past decade she has resided on beautiful Ngunnawal/ Ngambri country, where she currently creates her art. Being an Indigenous woman, culture and art go hand in hand. They are intertwined and are an ongoing source of inspiration for her. Through her varied art forms, Jessika explores her cultural identity.

Tahalianna Soward-Māhanga
Wiradjuri people

Tahalianna is a solo performing artist who was featured on The Voice in 2022, where she stood proud to represent herself, her culture and her people. As a young advocate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, Tahalianna is always working through the lens of ensuring her Ancestors voices are respected and carried forward with her in everything she does.

Batjula

Batjula is a sonic explorer on a mission to merge ancient traditions with modern beats. Through the mesmerizing sounds of the yidaki/didgeridoo, he weaves a tapestry of Psycadelic trance,Techno, and Didgeridoo World Music, creating a trance-inducing experience that transcends boundaries.
Drawing inspiration from his indigenous roots and a deep love for electronic music, Batjula's pulsating sets take audiences on spiritual journeys, inviting them to lose themselves in the dance and connect with there surroundings.

Femme Normale

Femme Normale is a young queer multidisciplinary artist of Gamilaroi and settler ancestry, with strong Ngunnawal kinship ties. She makes her home on Ngunnawal dhawura, thinking big thoughts, and going to parties. She will be sharing with you a set that makes her feel like Spring, and putting you onto some sweet-as Indigenous artists from across the globe.

Lemonise

Lemonise presents didgeridoo-fronted (played by lead singer and GuriNgai musician Jake Magi) psychedelic pop. Infused with mesmerizing natural influences from the South Coast, their music is a kaleidoscope of funky rhythms and mind-bending melodies, taking audiences on a sonic journey that's as unique as it is unforgettable.