Tarnanthi Festival Will Celebrate 10 Years With TOO DEADLY: TEN YEARS OF TARNANTHI at AGSA

The Art Gallery of South Australia (AGSA) has announced Too Deadly: Ten Years of Tarnanthi, a major exhibition celebrating a decade of Tarnanthi, Australia's leading First Nations arts festival.

Opening on October 17, 2025, the exhibition will be accompanied by a statewide festival of exhibitions and events across twenty-five partner venues, as well as the return of the popular Tarnanthi Art Fair, this year at a new central CBD location.

Curated by Tarnanthi Artistic Director Nici Cumpston OAM, Too Deadly will feature more than 200 landmark works of art acquired into AGSA’s collection since the festival began in 2015. The exhibition will recontextualize and re-energize major works by artists such as Tony Albert, Nyaparu (William) Gardiner, Vincent Namatjira, Reko Rennie, Kaylene Whiskey, and many more.

Highlights include:

• Kuḻaṯa Tjuṯa (Many Spears) – An explosive installation of 551 hand-carved spears and piti (wooden bowls) created by 59 Aṉangu men and women. Originally presented at Tarnanthi in 2017, this groundbreaking work returns to Adelaide after touring the USA.

• Kungka Kuṉpu (Strong Women) – Works by celebrated women artists from the APY Lands, exploring themes of storytelling, culture, and resilience.

• The Blak Laundry – A participatory laundromat installation in AGSA’s Courtyard, curated by Libby Harward and Dominique Chen, inviting visitors to engage in conversations around sovereignty, capitalism, and everyday Blak life.

The 2025 festival will also feature the Tarnanthi Art Fair on October 17–18, offering ethically made works by First Nations artists for direct purchase, ensuring 100% of proceeds go to artists and their community-run art centres.

The Regional Tarnanthi program returns with Woven within Stars, opening at Port Augusta’s Yarta Purtli Art Gallery on September 20 before touring to Lobethal’s Fabrik in November. Curated by Marika Davies, this exhibition presents work by nine regional artists exploring stories that connect Country and culture.

Since its inception, Tarnanthi has:

• Welcomed 2.2 million visitors

• Showcased works by over 9,000 artists

• Sold $8.5 million in art through the Tarnanthi Art Fair

• Generated $126.5 million in economic expenditure in South Australia

Tarnanthi Festival 2025 will run from October 17, 2025 to January 18, 2026. A national tour of Too Deadly will follow, traveling to venues across Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, and Western Australia through 2028.

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