Launching on 17 October 2025, this major exhibition forms the centrepiece of the Tarnanthi Festival 2025, a vibrant state-wide celebration showcasing more than 200 artists across 25 venues.
Tarnanthi (pronounced TAR-nan-dee) is a Kaurna word meaning “to spring forth” — reflecting both the emergence of light and the blossoming of creativity. Since its inception in 2015, this nationally acclaimed festival has become Australia’s premier platform for First Nations art, attracting over 2.2 million visitors and supporting more than 9,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists.
Curated by Nici Cumpston OAM, Too Deadly draws from the AGSA collection and features over 200 significant works acquired during the festival’s first decade. Cumpston, a Barkandji artist and Tarnanthi’s Artistic Director, says:
Over the last decade, Tarnanthi has fostered opportunities for more than 9,000 First Nations artists at all stages of their careers, opening new pathways for creative talents… Tarnanthi has its own ecology—ambitious, intergenerational, and embracing of both emerging and established artists working in any medium.
Exhibition highlights
Kuḻaṯa Tjuṯa (Many Spears)
Premiered in 2017, this awe-inspiring installation brings together 551 handcrafted spears suspended in formation, surrounded by carved piti (wooden bowls). Created by 59 male and female Aṉangu artists from the APY Lands, it reflects on the devastating impact of atomic bomb testing in the 1950s and ’60s on Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara Country. The work will be accompanied by a compelling six-channel film featuring interviews and footage of the lands affected.
Kungka Kuṉpu (Strong Women)
On display at AGSA for the first time after a national tour, this collection features contemporary works by prominent women artists from the APY Lands. The exhibition showcases oral traditions through bold paintings and sculptural installations by the Tjanpi Desert Weavers, using native grasses and found objects.
The Blak Laundry
During the festival’s opening weekend, Libby Harward (Ngugi Quandamooka) and Dominique Chen (Gamilaroi) transform the AGSA Courtyard into an interactive laundromat-meets-installation. Audiences are invited to participate in conversations about sovereignty, cultural labour, and everyday Blak life through storytelling sessions, performances, and “agitations.”
The Studio with Layne Dhu-Dickie
In AGSA’s free interactive space, Banjiyma artist Layne Dhu-Dickie—who became Tarnanthi’s youngest-ever participant in 2019 at age 15—returns with Captain Hedland versus The Fisherman, a comic book project that invites visitors to co-create a collaborative comic book wall.
Tarnanthi Art Fair: Ethical, Direct, and Personal
Held in person from 17–18 October 2025 at a new CBD location—Union House at the University of Adelaide—the Tarnanthi Art Fair offers a rare opportunity to purchase ethically made works directly from First Nations artists and community-run art centres. Every dollar goes back to the artists and their communities, supporting sustainable livelihoods and cultural preservation.
Statewide and Regional Exhibitions
In addition to the AGSA exhibition, the Tarnanthi Festival extends across 25 partner venues, from metropolitan Adelaide to regional South Australia. A wide range of media will be featured: painting, sculpture, weaving, digital works, jewellery, film, and more.
Regional Tarnanthi – Woven within Stars
This regional highlight, curated by Marika Davies, features new and existing works by nine First Nations artists from across regional SA. Opening at Yarta Purtli Art Gallery in Port Augusta (20 September) before moving to Fabrik in Lobethal (28 November), the exhibition showcases stories deeply rooted in culture and Country.
Looking ahead
Following its Adelaide season, Too Deadly: Ten Years of Tarnanthi will embark on a national tour (2026–2028), visiting regional art centres including:
- Rockhampton Museum of Art and Caboolture Regional Art Gallery (QLD)
- Maitland Regional Art Gallery and Ngununggula (NSW)
- Geelong Gallery (VIC)
- Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery (WA)
A special publication featuring new essays by First Nations writers will also accompany the exhibition.
Tarnanthi 2025 is held from 17 October 2025 to 18 January 2026 at AGSA and 25 venues across South Australia. More information at agsa.sa.gov.au
