Tarnanthi Festival

The Hon. T.T. NGO (14:48): My question is to the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs. Can the minister tell the council about this year's Tarnanthi Festival?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Deputy Premier, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector, Special Minister of State) (14:48): I certainly can, and it would be a pleasure to do so. I thank the honourable member for his question. I note that he and—as I look around this chamber—many other members of the Legislative Council have been regular attendees at Tarnanthi Festival over its first decade. The Tarnanthi Festival, which now becomes Australia's leading First Nations arts festival, is a vibrant celebration of contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art presented by the Art Gallery of South Australia.

Tarnanthi is a central meeting place for culture, where old traditions meet some of the very newest art forms. This year is especially significant, marking Tarnanthi Festival's 10^th anniversary. I was delighted to be at the first Tarnanthi Festival opening in 2015, and I have been a regular visitor to exhibitions ever since. In the last 10 years, more than 10,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists have created work for exhibition at Tarnanthi or put it on sale at the Tarnanthi Art Fair. What's even more remarkable is that in excess of two million visitors have experienced Tarnanthi exhibitions and events at the Art Gallery of South Australia, partner venues across SA and at the touring exhibitions that result.

The centrepiece of this year's festival is an exhibition at the Art Gallery entitled 'Too Deadly: Ten Years of Tarnanthi' celebrating 200 major works acquired through Tarnanthi exhibitions since its inception. A selection of works from this exhibition will be travelling nationally from mid-2026 until 2028 to six venues in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia.

Alongside this major showcase, Tarnanthi 2025 features over 30 exhibitions, performances, screenings, talks and events at partner venues across Adelaide and in regional South Australia, creating a statewide celebration of First Nations arts and culture. I have had the pleasure of visiting a number of exhibitions so far, including four powerful Tarnanthi exhibitions at the Jam Factory. Just the variety in these four exhibitions under the one roof was incredible; collaborations that blend traditional craft from weaving and furniture to glassworks with modern design, alongside striking solo works that use contemporary ceramics to deliver messages about culture and community.

These works show just how First Nations artists are leading the way in skills and storytelling across a huge range of mediums. To all the artists who have contributed to Tarnanthi over the past 10 years, I thank you for sharing your talent and your vision, and particular thanks go to the Art Gallery of South Australia for its leadership of the Tarnanthi Festival. I encourage everyone to do themselves a favour and experience Tarnanthi for themselves. It is bold, moving and unforgettable.