Tasmania’s Takayna is one of the world’s last great temperate rainforests, a landscape of towering eucalypts, ancient flora and flowing rivers that have carved the earth for millennia. From 18 September to 10 October 2026, Bob Brown Foundation’s Art for Takayna exhibition will bring this extraordinary wilderness to Adelaide through an immersive experience at ILA, presented as part of South Australia’s Nature Festival.
The exhibition features more than 36 artworks from 23 artists who have participated in Bob Brown Foundation’s annual residency in Takayna, including seven South Australian artists. At its heart is a breathtaking immersive film projected across ILA’s 110m² LED-screen studio, accompanied by an original score improvised by Adelaide pianist Dave McEvoy to the sounds of the forest awakening at dawn.
“My time in Takayna gifted me a profound and lasting sense of wellbeing,” McEvoy said. “Making music there, I became viscerally aware of a deep interconnectedness. I felt as though the forest, a wise and benign benefactor, was holding out a lifeline to us as a species.”
A season of live performance
Surrounding the exhibition is a series of live music events performed in ILA’s immersive studio, with Takayna’s wild landscapes projected on the wrap-around screens. Local performers who have undertaken the Art for Takayna residency will draw from their experiences through live music and spoken word.
Anya Anastasia Trio launches her new single “Takayna” on Saturday 19 September, performing with Clara Grant and Jamie Lena in the round. Naomi Keyte Trio and Tessa Leon follow on Friday 25 September, with Keyte joined by Django Rowe and Grace Mensforth, and opened by spoken word artist Tessa Leon.
On Wednesday 7 October, Forest Songs for Little Ones brings Barkindji Songwoman Nancy Bates and Dave McEvoy together for an interactive performance designed for children aged 0 to 6 years. The season closes with the Dave McEvoy Trio on Friday 9 and Saturday 10 October, featuring Lauren Henderson and Tasha Stevens.
Dining and discussion
The opening night on Friday 18 September includes an Artist Talk with Bob Brown Foundation’s Campaign Director Jenny Weber, alongside activists and artists, facilitated by ILA’s Head of Creative Sarah Bleby. The talk is included with evening exhibition tickets.
ILA’s signature Art Salon Lunch on Saturday 10 October offers a curated three-course plant-based lunch from Aurora Restaurant, served amidst breathtaking imagery of Takayna, with conversation from Bob Brown Foundation representatives and residency artists. A special High Tea on Saturday 19 September includes exhibition entry.
Proceeds from the exhibition support Bob Brown Foundation’s campaign to protect Takayna as a World Heritage-listed national park, returned to Aboriginal ownership.
“Art for Takayna is a globally unique artivism event where our frontline defenders host the artists and inspire their works,” said Jenny Weber. “The powerful call to action from artists through their portraits of Takayna provide a visceral reminder of what is at stake in this ancient and threatened place.”
South Australian artists featured in the exhibition include Bianca Hoffrichter, Corrie Hosking, Heidi Kenyon, Karo Lutkiewicz, Dave McEvoy, OAKEY and Liza Savchuk.
Art for Takayna
Friday 18 September to Saturday 10 October 2026
Immersive Light and Art (ILA), Adelaide
immersivelightandart.com.au
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