TARNANTHI, pronounced tar-nan-dee, is a Kaurna word from the traditional owners of the Adelaide Plains. It means to come forth or appear – like the sun and the first emergence of light, or a seed sprouting. For many cultures, first light signifies new beginnings.

TARNANTHI, the inaugural Festival of Contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art, will open 8 October and cast new light on the art of Australia’s rich and diverse indigenous cultures. It will be presented by the Art Gallery of South Australia in partnership with BHP Billiton supported by the Government of South Australia.

The Festival’s artistic vision encourages new beginnings by providing artists with opportunities to create significant new work. The Festival team have been working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists across the country to extend the practices they have been developing in studios, art centres, institutions and communities.

TARNANTHI will include a series of exhibitions, presented in partnership with key cultural institutions across South Australia, which will showcase the extraordinary, the significant and the unique, and will challenge existing notions of Aboriginal art. At its heart the Art Gallery of South Australia will be showcasing its most ambitious exhibition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art in its 134 year history.