Tarnanthi

Tarnanthi
Name	Tarnanthi
Caption	Tarnanthi logo and exhibition at the Art Gallery of South Australia
Location	Adelaide, South Australia
First	2015
Frequency	Annual
Organized	Art Gallery of South Australia

Tarnanthi Tarnanthi is an annual contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art festival held in Adelaide, showcasing a wide range of visual arts, performance, and public programs. It operates from the Art Gallery of South Australia and engages with institutions, artists, curators, and communities across Australia and internationally. The festival foregrounds Indigenous cultural production and exchange alongside partnerships with galleries, museums, and arts organisations.

Overview

Tarnanthi presents contemporary practice by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists through exhibitions, commissions, public programs, and a marketplace, bringing together artists associated with institutions such as the Art Gallery of South Australia, National Gallery of Australia, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, South Australian Museum, TarraWarra Museum of Art, and National Museum of Australia. The festival collaborates with community-run centres including Buku-Larrnggay Mulka Centre, Iwantja Arts, Warmun Art Centre, Campfire Group, Ernabella Arts, and Tangentyere Artists, while engaging curators and researchers from universities such as University of Adelaide, University of Sydney, University of Melbourne, and Australian National University. Tarnanthi’s presentation network extends to state galleries like the Art Gallery of New South Wales, National Gallery of Victoria, Queensland Art Gallery, and regional venues including Tandanya, Darwin, and the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory.

History and Origins

Tarnanthi was established as a response to conversations among the Art Gallery of South Australia, Indigenous leaders, artists, and advisors including community elders and representatives from the Australia Council for the Arts, Creative Australia, and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts Board. Early collaborators and advisors featured figures connected to the National Indigenous Art Triennial, Torres Strait Islander organisations, and art centres such as Warlukurlangu Artists, Papunya Tula, and Warmun. The festival’s origins reflect networks involving institutions like the British Museum, State Library of South Australia, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, and international partners including the Musée du quai Branly, Smithsonian Institution, and the British Council. Policy and funding shifts influenced relationships with bodies such as Arts SA, Department of the Premier and Cabinet (South Australia), Australia Council for the Arts, and philanthropic foundations including Ian Potter Foundation and Sidney Myer Fund.

Curatorial Practice and Themes

Curatorial approaches at Tarnanthi have involved principal curators, guest curators, and community curators connected to practices at organisations like the Art Gallery of South Australia, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, National Gallery of Victoria, and South Australian Museum. Thematic programs have touched on country and place with references to Arnhem Land, Central Australia, Kimberley, Pilbara, Torres Strait, and Cape York, and explored dialogues with artists linked to institutions such as the National Gallery of Australia, Australian Centre for Photography, and Gertrude Contemporary. Projects have investigated material cultures represented by Ceramics Australia, First Nations textile makers, printmakers from Print Council of Australia, and weavers associated with Karrabing Film Collective collaborations. Curators have drawn on scholarship from academics at Flinders University, Monash University, Deakin University, and University of Western Australia, and consulted with community organisations like Aboriginal Legal Rights Movement and Indigenous Remote Communications Association.

Participating Artists and Works

Tarnanthi has showcased artists whose practices intersect with well-known figures and regional art centres: established painters from Papunya Tula, desert artists connected to Ernabella Arts and Yuendumu, weavers from Tiwi Islands, sculptors associated with Munupi Arts, printmakers from Buku-Larrnggay Mulka Centre, and emerging practitioners from Tangentyere Artists and Iwantja Arts. Featured practitioners include senior artists affiliated with Warmun Art Centre, Ngaanyatjarra artists, and Torres Strait Islander creatives working across media similar to those represented by Biennale of Sydney participants, Venice Biennale contributors, and artists who have exhibited at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Works range from bark paintings, acrylic dot paintings, woven textiles, glass commissions, ceramics, digital media, photography, film and performance pieces presented alongside works by collectives and solo practitioners linked to major festivals and awards such as the Archibald Prize, Wynne Prize, Sulman Prize, and National Indigenous Photography Prize.

Exhibitions and Programs

Exhibitions at Tarnanthi have included large-scale survey exhibitions, curated projects in collaboration with institutions such as the British Museum, Musée du quai Branly, and National Gallery of Australia, and site-specific commissions presented at venues like Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute, JamFactory, and Spence Gallery. Public programs span artist talks, panel discussions, workshops and children's programs involving partners such as Carclew Youth Arts, Adelaide Festival Centre, OzAsia Festival, Adelaide Festival, Festival of Ideas, SALA Festival, and the Adelaide Film Festival. Educational initiatives have been developed with TAFE SA, University of South Australia, and secondary schools while residency programs have been run in partnership with Gertrude Contemporary, Cité Internationale des Arts, and international exchange organisations including AsiaLink and Australia Council international programs.

Reception and Impact

Critical reception has been recorded in national media outlets and cultural journals connected to institutions like ABC Arts, The Guardian Australia, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian, Art Monthly Australia, Art Asia Pacific, and Frieze, while academic critique has appeared in journals and conferences associated with Monash University, University of Melbourne, and University of Sydney. Tarnanthi has influenced market and institutional collecting by galleries such as National Gallery of Victoria, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Queensland Art Gallery, and regional collecting by state libraries and museums, and has shaped discourse in Indigenous cultural policy debated in forums with Australia Council for the Arts, Arts Ministerial councils, and heritage organisations. The festival’s legacy intersects with touring projects, acquisitions, and career development for artists represented by galleries, dealers, and community arts centres.

Governance and Funding

Tarnanthi is administered by the Art Gallery of South Australia with governance involving advisory councils and partnerships with entities such as the Australia Council for the Arts, Arts South Australia, Department of the Premier and Cabinet (South Australia), and philanthropic partners including Ian Potter Foundation and Myer Foundation. Funding and sponsorship models include government arts funding, philanthropic grants, corporate partnerships, and collaborations with institutions like the National Gallery of Australia, State Library of South Australia, Tandanya, and regional arts organisations. Strategic partnerships and memoranda of understanding have linked Tarnanthi to international cultural institutions, exchange programs, and Indigenous arts organisations across Australia.

Category:Australian art festivals