About the Program

Tarnuk–ut baany is a personal and professional development program facilitating cultural knowledge exchange through creative mentorship.

Named after the BoonWurrung phrase ‘wooden vessels holding water,’ it signifies an invitation to share food, sit around, and tell stories.

Through Tarnuk–ut baany, the next generation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander creatives are guided by the knowledge and experience of Elders and community leaders. With self-determination at its core, the program is tailored to the needs of the group.

Program Structure

Over a six month period, Tarnuk–ut baany 2025 will provide First Nations mentorship and seed funding to a small group of participants to commence projects encompassing cultural and creative practice, partnered with workshops to support project delivery.

Expressions of Interest for this program in 2025 are now closed

Program highlights:

  • Each participant receives $5,000 to develop new or existing works.
  • Participants are partnered with a mentor who share creative practice.
  • Participants attend four workshops focused on cultural and professional development to support their current or future projects.

Leadership and Collaboration

Led by Elders, the Indigenous Advisory Group, and the Indigenous Cultural Program Manager, the program collaborates with First Nations participants, mentors, and facilitators to ensure a rich and supportive learning environment.

Mentorship details

This opportunity is available for a small group of participants who will be matched with respective mentors. Each participant will be paired with a First Nations mentor who shares the same creative practice. An introductory meeting will be facilitated by the Indigenous Cultural Program Manager, followed by six face-to-face meetings.

Tarnuk–ut baany Participants
Barringunn Bulic

Based in Melbourne and originally from Queensland, Barringunn Bulic has ancestral ties to the Darumbal and Kuinmabra nations. They explore their connection to culture and ancestry with paints and weaving. Using both traditional practices and contemporary forms, their work reflects a deep engagement with identity, heritage and storytelling

Jahkarli Romanis

Jahkarli Felicitas Romanis is a proud Aboriginal woman of Pitta Pitta descent. She was born and raised on Wadawurrung/Wathaurong Country and currently works as an artist and researcher on Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung and Boon Wurrung Land. After completing an Honours in Photography degree at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in 2020, she commenced a PhD at Monash University in 2021 through the Wominjeka Djeembana Indigenous Research Lab, in the faculty of Art, Design and Architecture (MADA). Her arts practice is inextricably intertwined with her identity as a Pitta Pitta woman and aims to subvert and disrupt colonial approaches to image making and photography. Romanis’ research and practice is heavily informed by her family oral histories and photographic archives.

Kyle Archie Knight

Kyle Archie Knight is a Wiradjuri queer photographic artist based in Naarm/Melbourne. Knight’s keen interest in the mundane and humdrum suburbia of Naarm resulted in his highly commended long-form and ongoing project, ‘Cruising for a Bruising’. With this project, he was a finalist (with High Commendation) in the Ballarat International Foto Biennale 2022 GradFoto exhibition and was later a core program artist in the 10th Ballarat International Foto Biennale (2023) with a solo exhibition.

Knight’s recent exhibitions include ‘de-centre re-centre’ at Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery for Perth Festival, ‘NAIDOC Week’ at MARS Gallery, ‘New Photographers’ at Daine Singer Gallery as part of PHOTO 2024 and group shows at the Centre for Contemporary Photography, Melbourne Fringe Festival, and Unassigned Gallery. In 2024, he was a creative resident at the Centre for Contemporary Photography.

Knight’s debut photobook, ‘Cruising for a Bruising’, was published in 2023 by M.33 and was subsequently shortlisted in the 2024 Australian and New Zealand Photobook Awards. Knight graduated from RMIT University with a Bachelor of Arts (Photography) (Honours) Honours First Class. Alongside his documentary practice, Knight is also known for his work as an editorial and commercial photographer. His photographic work is held in the private collections of Tony Albert and Michael Schwarz

Leon Rodgers

Born and raised on the Sunshine Coast hinterland, Leon Rodgers’s journey into the world of music began as a teenager, playing bass in various bands during and after high school. Fuelled by a growing passion for composing, he decided to take his musical pursuits to the next level and ventured to Melbourne to hone his skills by studying sound production at RMIT.

His musical palette is diverse, ranging from the grandeur of lush orchestral arrangements to the subtlety of minimalistic soundscapes. A proud descendant of the Worimi nation, Myall Lakes region, Leon’s cultural heritage holds a significant place in his artistic identity. He is deeply passionate about collaborating with First Nations artists to amplify our stories and traditions through the power of music.

Dylan Singh

Dylan Singh is a proud Wiradjuri man hailing from Albury/Wodonga, NSW. Dylan’s passion for performance comes from two different schools of art and culture that are as he describes as strange cousins. His father a traditional dancer and yidaki player with a group called Bubbu Yella travelled across the country learning new dances and songs from mobs all over. His mother was one of the first members at the circus school in Albury called the Flying Fruit Fly circus.

Dylan has been inspired by his culture through dance, music and songlines and continually tries to blend these elements into his circus and music art. Dylan believes that the two types of art forms share so many similarities that they can influence and support each other. Dylan tries to find ways to express his culture through his art form and wishes to pass on culture through his art onto the next generation of first nations people who wish to follow an artist path.

Simon Rose

Simon Rose is a Birriah/ Gurreng Gurreng Murri, a media practitioner who’s been developing his production skills across documentary, corporate video and other commissioned content for several years including freelance writing, producing and directing. Simon was the Indigenous directors attachment to ABC TVs ‘Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries’ 2011-12, completed a factual research internship with Blackfella Films Melbourne 2015-16, was a participant in Screen Australias’ national Indigenous Producing initiative 2016 and directed the NITV commissioned film: ‘Our Stories, Maree Clarke Cultural Warrior’ 2018.

Simon is passionate about Indigenous story and is currently the director of Indigenous media production services: the Great Aboriginal People.

Tarryn Love

Tarryn Love is a proud Gunditjmara Keerray Woorroong woman from south-west Victoria and raised on Wadawurrung Country. Alongside her sister, Tarryn creates artwork under Koorroyarr Arts to encompass the significant role of family in her practice and being a Gunditjmara woman continually learning and seeking knowledge of culture, while using art to channel this connection.

‘Koorroyarr’ means ‘granddaughter’ in Tarryn’s mother tongue Keerray Woorroong, to signify the presence and impact that her grandfather Ivan Couzens had on her passion for celebrating her identity. Tarryn’s body of work reflects the passing down of knowledge and with a variety of mediums and centring of language she works to revive, reinvigorate and celebrate the distinctiveness of Gunditjmara culture.

Tiffany Ward 

Tiffany Ward is proud Yorta Yorta woman from Albury/Wodonga which is on the border of NSW and VIC. She currently works as an assistant producer at HotHouse Theatre coming to the end of a 12-month traineeship, completing CERT III in Business. She’s had a passion for Theatre since she was 15 years old when she began acting in a local indigenous theatre ensemble and have since become passionate in producing local theatre. Tiffany has had the pleasure of working with some great Indigenous creatives over the years such as Kamarra Bell-Wykes and Elaine Crombie. Theatre is something  she is very passionate about and will continue to build her skills in, in the years to come.

Tybias Seff Hovington 

Tybias Seff Hovington is a First Nations Wibar (man) from the south east of Trowunna (Tasmania). His Tribe is Salt Water mob who’s name is the Paredarerme.

Tybias has always enjoyed being outdoors in nature. He spent most of my childhood observing insects and animals which has played a massive part in who he is today. Tybias wants to combine his passion for creativity with his love for the natural world, and believes making sustainable art is the best possible way to do so.

Tarnuk–ut baany is jointly funded by Office of the Arts: Indigenous Languages and Arts Program, Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communication and the Arts, Westgate Tunnel, Victoria University, Brian M Davis Charitable Fund and Transurban.