galang Residency
Established in 2023, the galang residency program supports First Nations artists and creative practitioners to undertake residencies at the Cité internationale des arts in Paris.
‘The galang residency provided the rare commodity of time with little distractions, while supported and surrounded by creativity and space to discover the innovative mindset potential we all have. The opportunity is of endless possibilities that enable residents to realise their superpower to influence their discipline and interests to create change.’
Powerhouse Parramatta in partnership with the Cité internationale des arts (Paris) are proud to present the program again in 2025, offering two First Nations creative practitioners based in Australia an opportunity to travel to Paris for a 3-month residency hosted by the Cité internationale des arts.
The program is open to First Nations creative practitioners working across a range of disciplines including, but not limited to, visual arts, design, weaving, performance, dance, music or writing. Applicants must be 18 years or older and be an Australian citizen or resident with a valid passport.
The residency includes return economy flights to and from Paris, accommodation in Paris at the Cité internationale des arts and per diems for food, project materials and travel within Paris.
TWO RESIDENCIES WILL BE OFFERED IN 2025
- 3 June – 28 August 2025
- 3 July – 29 September 2025
2025 Recipients
Vincent Namatjira
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.
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.
galang Residency
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‘The residency gifted me access to institutions, industry professionals, different cultures, a broader understanding of systems outside of the Australian continent, and global connections unlike anywhere else. Most of all, the residency gave me the opportunity to learn, experience and connect, and to see what it means to create bridges of language cross culturally.’
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