Media Release
2025 Galang Residents Announced
Archibald Prize-winning artist Vincent Namatjira OAM and multidisciplinary artist Jarra Karalinar Steel have been awarded the annual galang residency, a program delivered through a partnership between Powerhouse and the Cité internationale des arts.
Now in its third year, the prestigious residency supports Australian First Nations creative practitioners through two supported three-month residencies in Paris in June and July 2025.
Vincent Namatjira OAM will be the first artist travelling to Paris, with his residency commencing in June. During his residency Namatjira will investigate historical depictions of First Nations people within French collections, examining how Indigenous subjects were represented in colonial-era art and how these visual legacies are manifested today.
His research will inform new artworks that draw connections between Australia’s colonial past and broader global histories of subjugation, empire and resistance. Namatjira’s project will culminate in a series of new paintings that will reinterpret European representations of authority and challenge dominant historical narratives.
2025 galang residency recipient, Vincent Namatjira OAM said, ‘I am honoured to be selected for the 2025 galang residency program and excited to make the most of this amazing opportunity. As an Aboriginal artist based in a remote Indigenous community, I strongly believe that living remote should not be a barrier to artistic and professional development. Being based in Paris for the galang Residency will provide an opportunity for me to connect with local artists, curators, and institutions, building relationships across countries and cultures and broadening the reach of my practice on an international scale.’
Jarra Karalinar Steel will undertake her residency in July. Her residency aims to expand her visual language through research, experimentation and engagement with contemporary art, museums and archives.
Steel’s research will focus on Blak Futurism, cultural revitalisation, and the intersection between First Peoples’ perspectives and broader narratives of identity, while drawing from her Yaluk-ut Weelam heritage. The work developed during her time in Paris will contribute to the development of a larger ongoing project that will reflect on connections between Indigenous and diasporic experiences.
2025 galang residency recipient, Jarra Karalinar Steel said, ‘I’m honoured and excited for the 2025 galang residency! This is a huge opportunity to take my work beyond my local area, connect with an international community, and explore how my art practice fits into global conversations. Having dedicated time and space to experiment and grow as an artist is invaluable.’
The 2025 galang residency selection panel consisted of Powerhouse Associate alumni, Wiradjuri artist writer and curator Dr Brook Garru Andrew, Head of the Residency Department Cité internationale des arts Vincent Gonzalvez, and Powerhouse Director First Nations Beau James.
The panel were impressed by the high standard of proposals received for the residency, which attracted submissions from talented First Nations practitioners across Australia who specialise in disciplines ranging from digital design, craft, jewellery, architecture, choreography, fashion, writing, visual arts and sciences. The panel expressed their support for Namatjira and Steel’s proposed projects, which will provide avenues for reflection on the impacts of Indigenous representation in art and history.
Since its inception, the galang residency has provided a transformative platform for First Nations artists and generated new opportunities for its recipients. Previous residents include architect Jack Gillmer, who was recently appointed a creative director of the Australian Pavilion at the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale, founder of Barabirang Projects Jayne Christian, leading journalist and storyteller Daniel Browning, and multidisciplinary artist Jody Rallah.
Powerhouse Chief Executive, Lisa Havilah said, ‘Each year, submissions for the galang residency highlight unique artistic approaches and perspectives from talented Australian First Nations creatives. Our support for this program will continue to foster opportunities for cross-cultural connections and collaborations.’
For more information about the 2025 galang residency program, visit https://ph.au/3XPN5Ew
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About Powerhouse
Powerhouse sits at the intersection of arts, design, science and technology and plays a critical role in engaging communities with contemporary ideas and issues. We are undertaking a landmark $1.2 billion infrastructure renewal program, spearheaded by the creation of the new museum, Powerhouse Parramatta; expanded research and public facilities at Powerhouse Castle Hill; the renewal of the iconic Powerhouse Ultimo; and the ongoing operation of Sydney Observatory. The museum is custodian to over half a million objects of national and international significance and is considered one of the finest and most diverse collections in Australia. We are also undertaking an expansive digitisation project that will provide new levels of access to the Powerhouse Collection.
About Vincent Namatjira OAM
Western Aranda artist Vincent Namatjira OAM has gained recognition in Australia and overseas as a witty and subversive portraitist. The great-grandson of renowned watercolourist Albert Namatjira, Vincent has forged his own path by painting portraits of important figures, including United States presidents, Australian prime ministers and the British monarchy. Bold and conceptually rich, these paintings offer a wry look at the politics of history, power and leadership from a contemporary Aboriginal perspective.
Born in Mparntwe (Alice Springs), and now based in Indulkana on Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands, Namatjira often inserts himself into his compositions, fusing his incisive political critique with deeply personal histories.
In 2020, he was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in honour of his contribution to Indigenous visual arts. In the same year, he was the first Indigenous Australian artist to win the prestigious Archibald Prize. Namatjira was also the winner of the 2019 Ramsay Art Prize, Australia’s most generous prize for artists under 40.
About Jarra Karalinar Steel
Of the Yaluk-ut Weelam clan of the Boonwurrung, Wemba Wemba and Pairrebeenne/Trawlwoolway, Jarra Karalinar Steel is a multidisciplinary artist. Her work explores her identity, memories, future folklore, Blak Futurism and her lived experiences growing up in Naarm (Melbourne) and living on Country surrounded by culture with knowledge passed down through her family and Elders.
Steel is known for her 2021 Melbourne Art Tram, iilk (eel), along with her poster art, large-scale public installations, augmented reality, digital art, game design, emu egg engravings and commemorative signage. Through her visual storytelling, she looks to insert contemporary cultural visual language into the urban and digital landscape, reclaiming space and belonging. Steel recently completed three years as curator of the First Peoples Melbourne Art Trams for the RISING festival, and she is currently undertaking her PhD at RMIT School of Design and a Rupert Bunny Foundation Visual Arts Fellowship with the City of Port Phillip.
About Cité internationale des arts
The Cité internationale des arts is an artists' residency that brings together artists in the heart of Paris and allows them to implement a creative or research project in all disciplines. For periods of two months to a year, in the Marais or in Montmartre, the Cité internationale des arts allows artists to work in an environment that is conducive to creation and open to meetings with professionals from the cultural milieu. Artists in residence benefit from customised support from the Cité internationale des arts team.