Immerse yourself in First Nations art, conversation and culture with Blaklight, a month-long program celebrating the diversity of our First Nations people at the Art Gallery of Western Australia.
BlakLight sees every gallery space at AGWA dedicated to Aboriginal and Torres Strait artists, showcasing the diversity and complexity of First Nations art.
Art is a powerful medium to initiate discussion and alongside the gallery takeover, is a program of events designed to spark conversation around cultural identities and explore the notion of community through visual art, music, talks and more.
With every wall, every floor, every channel dedicated to First Nations stories, culture and art, here’s a quick snapshot of each exhibition on display:
Tracks We Share: Contemporary Art of The Pilbara.
Gallery 1, 3, 4 & 5 | 11 March – 28 August
Featuring 70 artists and over 190 artworks across four gallery spaces celebrating the Aboriginal artists and artwork of Western Australia’s Pilbara region.
Ever Present: First Peoples Art of Australia
Gallery 6 & 7 | Until 18 April
Ever Present surveys historical and contemporary works by over 80 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists from across Australia.
Balancing Act
Our story is not one story but many stories to share.
Gallery 2 | Ongoing
This exhibition draws upon works by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists from the State Art Collection. The unique works of art in this space reflect the nuanced and diverse lived experiences of First Nations artists living and working across the continent.
Tyrown Waigana
Overgrown
AGWA Foyer | Until 13 June
Wardandi and Saibai Islander multidisciplinary artist and graphic designer Tyrown Waigana probes themes like identity, feelings, politics, and art history through his surreal concepts and abstract painting.
Michael Jalaru Torres | Jurru
Gallery 8 | Until 3 July
Djugun and Yawaru photographic artist Michael Jalaru Torres explores social history and the political and cultural identities of community members from the Kimberley region of Western Australia, with his innovative portraiture and abstracted landscape photography.
Bábbarra Designs: Material stories by women of Arnhem Land
Gallery 10 | 18 March – 17 July
On display is a selection of Bábbarra Designs’ exquisite hand-printed textiles that tell the ancestral stories of Bábbarra’s Arnhem Land country and cultures.
Boorongur
Gallery 9 | 18 March – 4 December
Boorongur (Totem), in collaboration with Sharyn Egan, will provide an interactive, shared space for audiences to consider a personal plant or animal totem, and contribute to the accumulation of families of small raffia and wool creatures.
Rooftop Rewritten
AGWA Rooftop | 18 March – 18 April
Six Aboriginal writers and curators respond to the sculptural works that sit atop the Gallery building, all of which are by non-Indigenous artists.
Blaklight is a fusion of the diverse and dynamic expression of art, with the tapestry of stories, memories and experiences of being a First Nations person in Australia. Take a walk through the displays and embrace the opportunity for education, insight and appreciation of the ancient culture of Aboriginal and Torres Strait people.
For more information about Blaklight and exhibition details, head to the AGWA website.
AGWA hours:
10am-5pm, Daily.
Closed Tuesdays, Good Friday and Christmas Day.