Curated by Kimberley Moulton, the exhibition explores regenerative practices, cultural connections, and the power of ancestral knowledge through the works of 23 contemporary Australian artists.
Iluwanti Ken, Walawuru Tjukurpa (Story of the Eagles), 2024. Courtesy of the artist and TarraWarra Museum of Art.
TarraWarra Museum of Art announces the TarraWarra Biennial 2025, curated by Yorta Yorta woman, writer, and curator Kimberley Moulton. From 29 March to 20 July 2025, the exhibition, ‘We Are Eagles’, will feature 23 artists who explore regenerative practices and transcultural connections to land, memory, and objects. More than 20 new works have been commissioned for this highly anticipated event.
Inaugurated in 2006, the TarraWarra Biennial aims to highlight emerging trends in contemporary Australian art through an experimental curatorial platform. The title ‘We Are Eagles’ draws inspiration from a speech made by Pastor Sir Doug Nicholls at the 1938 Day of Mourning, a pivotal moment in the south-eastern First Nations political movement. That day, Nicholls declared, “we do not want chicken-feed… we are not chickens; we are eagles,” calling for equal rights and an end to colonial oppression.
Rooted in this powerful sentiment, ‘We Are Eagles’ fosters cross-cultural dialogues that transcend colonial temporality. The exhibition connects cultures, borders, waterways, and celestial realms to the totemic eagle, presenting diverse ways to engage with history, ancestral knowledge, and future possibilities.
TarraWarra Museum of Art’s Director, Dr Victoria Lynn, commented: “We’re excited to have Kimberley Moulton curate the next edition of the Biennial, which is a key platform for contemporary art in Australia. Through Moulton’s curatorial vision, ‘We Are Eagles’ highlights artists reclaiming cultural space in innovative ways.”
Curator Kimberley Moulton explained: “‘We Are Eagles’ explores the relationship between cultural materials, memory, and place, and how embodied knowledge disrupts coloniality. The exhibition presents a First Peoples curatorial approach, demonstrating how creative practices can reframe our connections to objects and histories.”
A new sound work by Wurundjeri artist Brooke Wandin will respond to a wangimu bubupal (a child’s boomerang) on loan from Museums Victoria. This recorded piece, spoken in language, seeks to restore the object’s spirit and history.
Among the large-scale installations transforming the gallery space is Shireen Taweel’s Pilgrimage of a Hajjonaut, which combines celestial navigation, Islamic feminist narratives, and speculative fiction in the context of migration. Venezuelan-born artist Nadia Hernández will present a mixed-media work inspired by Venezuelan protest songs. Yorta Yorta/Wurundjeri artist Moorina Bonini will showcase a regenerative project with her family, focusing on cultural belonging and soundscapes in the Country. Angela Tiatia’s new three-channel video work, Render, documents the embodiment of a Pacific ancestral chant, intertwining images of Sāmoan landscapes and temples with environmental concerns about climate change.
The exhibition will also feature new work by Pitjantjatjara artist Iluwanti Ken, who shares her community’s eagle story alongside a collaborative piece with her niece, Yaritji Young. Kaiela Arts artists—Laurel Robinson, Cynthia Hardie, Amy Briggs, and Jack Anselmi—will present a series of paintings and ceramics. Kamilaroi artist Warraba Weatherall’s large-scale installation will address the repatriation of intangible cultural property, while Nathan Beard critiques Western museological practices through abstract sculptural works. A new film work by Wani Toaishara will explore citizenship, identity, and belonging.
The exhibition will open with a morning of artist talks on Saturday, 29 March 2025. Throughout the event, a range of public and education programs will follow.
Artists featured in TarraWarra Biennial 2025 include:
Nathan Beard, Moorina Bonini, Maree Clarke, Gunybi Ganambarr, Nadia Hernández, Lisa Hilli, Kaiela Arts (Jack Anselmi, Amy Briggs, Cynthia Hardie, Laurel Robinson), Iluwanti Ken, Brendan Kennedy, Daniel Riley, Teho Ropeyarn, wani toaishara, Shireen Taweel, Lyn Thorpe, Angela Tiatia, Brooke Wandin, Lisa Waup, Warraba Weatherall, Yaritji Young.
The TarraWarra Biennial 2025 will be an immersive, thought-provoking experience that offers new ways of thinking about art, culture, and history in Australia.
The exhibition will be on view from 29 March to 20 July 2025. For more information, please visit the TarraWarra Museum of Art.
