Too Deadly: Ten Years of Tarnanthi

A major new exhibition celebrates Tarnanthi’s first decade. Too Deadly: Ten Years of Tarnanthi assembles more than 200 diverse works of outstanding contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art seen in previous Tarnanthi Festivals. The exhibition both revisits key Tarnanthi works acquired by AGSA and revitalises them with fresh insights and unique dialogues with other works and across the Gallery.

The exhibition features significant, memorable and favourite works, some of them conceived specifically for Tarnanthi. Several are monumental in their scale, others are immense in the cultural importance of the stories they tell. All reflect the creative vitality and adaptive genius of contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists.

Too Deadly: Ten Years of Tarnanthi is the ideal platform to explore our shared histories, cultures and achievements and provides an opportunity to reflect on how we can contribute to reconciliation in Australia.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art is diverse. Therefore, if you are only ever highlighting one art form, such as bark painting or dot painting, you are placing limitations on your students' cultural awareness and understanding. We suggest considering the following when planning your lessons:

• Highlight and focus on a specific artist, time and place.
• Utilise our making and responding activities in your classrooms.
• Explore differing viewpoints through a variety of artists, including those who are contemporary and those from the past.
• Identity the main themes or ideas in the artist's work. How could these concepts connect with your students? Plan for children to respond to these themes and ideas without creating copies of the artist's work. Use our 'using artists as a starting point flowchart' to help you plan your lessons.