Community Events

Black Family Aboriginal Love

Boomalli is excited to present our 2025 Mardi Gras exhibition “Black Family – Aboriginal Love”, curated by Nioka Lowe-Brennan. Black Family – Aboriginal Love is a heartfelt celebration of solidarity, healing, and joy within the Queer Aboriginal community.

Exhibiting artists have created works inspired by those who make them feel supported and loved. Together, the pieces tell stories of connection, resilience, and how Black family is more than biological – it’s found in chosen families, communities, and those who stand by us through adversity.

This exhibition is a gentle reminder of the love we carry for one another and the beauty of finding family wherever we are. Join us on the opening night for an evening of art, performances, love and celebration!

 

The exhibition will open on Friday 21st of February 2025 and continue until Saturday 12th April 2025.

Website: https://www.boomalli.com.au

Email: [email protected]

Address:
55-59 Flood St Leichhardt NSW 2040

Phone: 0295602541

Richard Bell’s installation Embassy

Richard Bell’s installation Embassy
March 1 - April 27
Lismore Quadrangle
An installation as part of OCCURRENT AFFAIR

Richard Bell’s installation Embassy, inspired by the first Aboriginal Tent Embassy pitched on the grounds of Canberra’s Parliament House in 1972, continues this legacy as a place of solidarity and resistance - a space where people ask questions, share ideas, and create plans for a better future. To honour this intent, organisations with aligned values will use the space to host discussions, engagements and programming that are pertinent and relevant to the themes of OCCURRENT AFFAIR but more importantly to the local First Nations community on Country.

Website: https://lismoregallery.org/richard-bell-s-embassy

Email: [email protected]

Address:
11 Rural St, Lismore NSW 2480

Phone: 0266274608

ProppaNOW. OCCURRENT AFFAIR.

Lismore Regional Gallery is pleased to present OCCURRENT AFFAIR - a major exhibition featuring new and recent works by influential Aboriginal artist collective proppaNOW.

Established in 2003, proppaNOW is one of Australia’s leading cultural collectives – members Vernon Ah Kee, Tony Albert, Richard Bell, Megan Cope, Jennifer Herd, Gordon Hookey and Laurie Nilsen explore the politics of Aboriginal art and culture, re-thinking what it means to be a ‘contemporary Aboriginal artist’.

Conceived as a collaborative activist gesture, OCCURRENT AFFAIR addresses current socio-political, economic and environmental issues, while celebrating the strength, resilience and continuity of Aboriginal culture. Engaging wordplay through its title, OCCURRENT AFFAIR references the sensational journalistic style of some television current affair programs. OCCURRENT AFFAIR embraces the slippage between language and its associated readings to probe and present new narratives. The exhibition will reflect on the ongoing state of affairs affecting Aboriginal communities – issues that are relevant to all Australians.

One of Australia’s leading Indigenous arts collectives, proppaNOW was set up in Brisbane in 2003 to give urban-based Aboriginal artists a voice. They present a unique and controversial perspective of black Australia which is sometimes confronting and always thought provoking. proppaNOW create art that raises awareness of Aboriginal urban expression that depicts a contemporary story. They reinforce that Aboriginal Australia is a living culture that has evolved over time and dispel the notion that Indigenous art needs to be from a remote area to be ‘authentic’.

This will be proppaNOW’s last exhibition as a collective – seeing this historically significant movement at Lismore Regional Gallery is an unmissable opportunity.

Showing from 1 March – 27 April 2025

Website: https://lismoregallery.org/proppanow-occurrent-affair

Email: [email protected]

Address:
11 Rural St, Lismore NSW 2480

Phone: 0266274608

Gathering Space

Come along, grab a cuppa, have a yarn, and create! This monthly gathering space is open to Aboriginal artists and community members to learn, share, create, and collaborate. Kylie Caldwell, Bundjalung weaver and fibre artist, will be available to assist on the day. It is free, all materials are provided, and no registration is required.

First Sunday of the month, 1 – 3pm at the Lismore Regional Gallery

Website: https://lismoregallery.org/gathering-space

Email: [email protected]

Address:
11 Rural St, Lismore NSW 2480

Phone: 0266274608

SOUTH EAST BLOCK PARTY

We are so proud and excited to announce SOUTH EAST BLOCK PARTY is back for the fifth year in a row!

To celebrate Youth Week 2025, Weave Youth & Community Services, in partnership with Kobie Dee; a Gomeroi man, rapper and master storyteller, Randwick Council, and Great Southern Nights, will host the annual South East Block Party on Bidjigal Land, Coral Sea Park in Maroubra.
With a celebration of culture at the heart, South East Block Party 2025 is shaping up to be one of the most memorable events of the year packed with live music performances (including a surprise guest!), activities and games for all ages, carnival rides, free food, prizes and so much more!

This is an all ages community event, drug + alcohol free event.

Website: https://www.weave.org.au/south-east-block-party-24/

Email: [email protected]

Address:
Coral Sea Park, 1/53 Yorktown Parade, Maroubra NSW

Phone: 0406879399

Short+Sweet Deadly

Short+Sweet Deadly: A Ground-breaking Celebration of Indigenous Storytelling
Inaugural Program Showcases First Nations Theatre & Dance: Turner Theatre April 2025

Short+Sweet Sydney Festival is proud to announce the launch of S+S Deadly 2025, an extraordinary week-long program dedicated to amplifying First Nations voices through theatre and dance. Scheduled for April 2025 at Turner Theatre, TAFE NSW Ultimo Campus, this inaugural event offers a professional platform exclusively for First Nations artists to share their stories, talents, and culture.

Curated by acclaimed Wiradjuri dancer and choreographer Ella Havelka and supported by TAFE NSW - a leader in providing high-quality education and training for First Nations people across New South Wales - Short+Sweet Deadly aims to celebrate the richness of First Nations storytelling, preserve cultural heritage, and engage diverse audiences.

Website: https://shortandsweet.org

Email: [email protected]

Address:
Turner Theatre,
TAFE NSW Ultimo Campus

Community Screening: Yana Djamaga Ganji / Walk Good Fire

Trocadero Projects and Environmental Films Australia have teamed up to bring an environmental cinema experience to Footscray!

Grab a beanbag and a gelato for the Victorian premiere of Yana Djamaga Ganji / Walk Good Fire by Clancy Walker and Adam Nye, along with local short Outpicker, introduced by filmmaker Le Luo.

Attendees will be welcome to take home a cutting or plant, generously donated by our visitors and Newport Lakes Native Nursery. It will also be the last day to catch four additional short films on the small screen.

Friday 4 April, 6:30pm – 8:30pm AEDT
Trocadero Projects
Level 1/40 Leeds Street, Footscray VIC 3011

Tickets are FREE but capacity is limited.
People under the age of 18 are welcome to attend with a parent/guardian. Film ratings are TBC.

Tickets and more information here – https://events.humanitix.com/film-screening-environmental-films-australia-at-trocadero

Website: https://events.humanitix.com/film-screening-environmental-films-australia-at-trocadero

Email: [email protected]

Address:
Trocadero Projects
Level 1/40 Leeds Street
Footscray VIC 3011

Words as activism: workshop with Penny Evans

Words as activism: workshop with Penny Evans
10am - 12pm, Saturday 5 April at the Lismore Regional Gallery
All ages and abilities welcome

Taking Richard Bell's Embassy as a source of inspiration, local Gamilaroi artist Penny Evans is facilitating a placard making workshop exploring the power of words.

Penny Evans recently won the 2024 Koori Mail Indigenous Art Award, for her powerful work 'Elephant'. Created in the aftermath of the Voice referendum in 2023 she began making this major body of text-based wall pieces as a response to the deafening NO from non-indigenous Australians, and as a way to process her feelings of rage. Using paint and signs we will create our own placards formed from conversations with Penny and the group, around themes that strike passion in us. At the end of the workshop we will share our placards with the public by placing them in and around Embassy in the Lismore Quadrangle.

Bell’s installation Embassy, inspired by the first Aboriginal Tent Embassy pitched on the grounds of Canberra’s Parliament House in 1972, continues this legacy as a place of solidarity and resistance - a space where people ask questions, share ideas, and create plans for a better future.

About Penny Evans
Penny Evans is an artist based in the Northern Rivers of New South Wales. Her ceramics and mixed media collages connect with family, community, and national histories of colonisation’s aftermath. Evans is the recipient of numerous awards and residencies and exhibits her work nationally, including CEREMONY, the 4th Indigenous Art Triennial at the National Gallery of Australia in 2022.

Website: https://lismoregallery.org/words-as-activism-workshop-with-penny-evans

Email: [email protected]

Address:
11 Rural St, Lismore NSW 2480

Phone: 0266274608

ChillCheney Live At The Vanguard

ChillCheney is an Indigenous Hip Hop artist living in Gadigal country (Sydney). He delivers an electrifying performance that seamlessly blends the rhythm of live drums, the groove of a DJ’s beats, the soul of dynamic backing vocals and an electric guitarist. His shows are a high-energy rollercoaster, taking audiences on a wild ride through his captivating storytelling and infectious dance rhythms. ChillCheney masterful blend of storytelling and energetic beats creating an unforgettable experience that keeps the crowd moving and engaged from start to finish.

His performance record is an eclectic mix of events and venues, including, COOEE festival, Yabun Festival, NAIDOC in The City festival and Marrickville Festival. Warmed the crowd for Drapht during his tour and supported Tech N9ne at his Sydney show. ChillCheney has also orchestrated an exciting Australian tour that took place in May and June, 2024, with captivating performances in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Cairns, Canberra, and Newcastle.

Website: https://www.moshtix.com.au/v2/event/chillcheney/176489

Email: [email protected]

Address:
42 King St, Newtown NSW 2042

Phone: 0452581717

ALT: SESSIONS

ALT: Sessions is a series of deep dive sessions for emerging developers to gain industry knowledge. Hosted by industry leaders the workshops are designed to elevate the growing games community in NSW and provide opportunities for local industry.

Website: https://powerhouse.com.au/program/alt-sessions-2025

Email: [email protected]

Address:
PHIVE

5 Parramatta Sq, Parramatta NSW 2150

Phone: (02) 9217 0222

ALT: INSTALLATION

Japanese and UK artist collective Playfool and Tomo Kihara, will present their work How (not) to get hit by a self-driving car for the first time in Australia. The work challenges audiences to avoid being detected by an AI-powered camera and aims to become a platform to understand how these systems work. Playfool’s work has been presented at institutions including Victoria and Albert Museum, London and the MAK, Vienna.

Website: https://powerhouse.com.au/program/alt-installation-2025

Email: [email protected]

Address:
Parramatta Square
Darcy St and Macquarie St, Parramatta NSW 2150

Phone: (02) 9217 0222

ALT PLAY:

ALT: Play is an Australian digital games showcase, that puts the spotlight on independent game makers. Featuring local works-in-progress and newly released games. Join us to discover and playtest upcoming Australian titles.

Free — Register to attend. This event is subject to capacity.

All ages welcome.

Website: https://powerhouse.com.au/program/alt-play-2025

Email: [email protected]

Address:
PHIVE

5 Parramatta Sq, Parramatta NSW 2150

Phone: (02) 9217 0222