Tarnanthi 2015

In the Kaurna language of the Adelaide Plains, tarnanthi (tar-nan-dee) means to rise, come forth, spring up or appear. It heralds the animation of new ideas and new beginnings such as the rising sun, a universal metaphor across cultures for the agency of imagination.

Tarnanthi, the inaugural Festival of Contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art, brings together the work of more than 300 artists from across the continent. It celebrates contemporary Aboriginal art on a scale never before seen in South Australia. As the wellspring of the festival, Tarnanthi is the most ambitious exhibition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art in the 134-year history of the Art Gallery of South Australia.

The diversity and breadth of contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art – from far northern tropical Australia to the heart of the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara [APY] Lands and inner-city studios – is made visible across the twenty-two partner exhibitions and events of Tarnanthi, producing a comprehensive geography of ideas.

The 2015 festival program highlights include Tarnanthi Art Fair, an Art Gallery of South Australia initiative presented in partnership with Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute; panpa-panpalya, a public symposium modelled on the Kaurna philosophy of gathering to exchange ideas; and a comprehensive survey exhibition of master Ngarrindjeri weaver and internationally esteemed artist, Yvonne Koolmatrie.

The 2015 Artistic Director of Tarnanthi: Festival of Contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art is Nici Cumpston.

Tarnanthi: Festival of Contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art is presented by the Art Gallery of South Australia with support from Arts SA, Government of South Australia and Principal Partner BHP Billiton.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are respectfully advised that the following videos may contain the images of people who have passed away.

Tarnanthi is led by Artistic Director Nici Cumpston, the Art Gallery of South Australia’s Curator of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art. Cumpston is a proud Barkandji artist, writer, and educator who is also of Afghan, English and Irish heritage. She is a descendant of the people of the Barka, the Darling River, in far western New South Wales. Her career has been characterised by working closely with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists to bring new work and new ways of seeing to wider audiences.