Tarnanthi - The Blak Laundry

Over the opening weekend of Tarnanthi in the AGSA Courtyard, Ngugi Quandamooka artist Libby Harward and Gamilaroi artist Dominique Chen will present The Blak Laundry, part-sculptural installation, part-functional laundromat, and part-site for community gathering.

The Blak Laundry operates as both a literal and conceptual space for washing dirty laundry, transforming public and institutional spaces into working laundromats where conversations around sovereignty, cultural labour, capitalism, and everyday Blak life unfold. Audiences will be invited to interact by observing, washing, folding, listening, yarning, or joining scheduled ‘agitations’—interactive performances, meditations, games and storytelling sessions.

Thursday 16 October

7-8pm
Evening Agitation - Wash Ya Dot Art

Welcome to a proper fine art opening — Proppa Laundry style — where the white cube is scrubbed out and our dirty dot art is pegged proudly on the line for all to see. Load up the bubbles and pull the first load from the machine. Official ribbon cutting ceremony and games to play. Snacks, tea and coffee available.
Limited capacity

Friday 17 October

10am-1pm
Washing and Browsing Only

1-3pm
Afternoon Agitation - Stain Removal Protest Yarn

Some stains set in deep. Blak artists Ryan Presley and Dominic Guerrera bring their own works into the cycle, talking through how their art confronts the stubborn marks left on Country, culture and community. Together they’ll soak the system, wring out the truth, and refuse to let injustice hide in the fabric.
Limited capacity

3-4pm
Washing and Browsing Only

4-5pm
Evening Agitation - Nighty Night Gentle Wash Meditaion

After a heavy load, we switch to delicates. Join our Blak Laundry attendants for a gentle meditative spin, rinsing out the day with a slow, mindful cycle that folds care and calm back into our social fabric.
Limited capacity

Saturday 18 October

10.45am - 12.45pm
Morning Agitation - Handle With Care

Make your own Blak Laundry merch with our Laundry Attendants. Iron-on attitude, rinse-and-repeat resistance. The Blak Laundry will have some items to print on but it's suggested to BYO fabric/shirts/tea towels etc. for printing.
Limited capacity

12:45-3pm
Washing and Browsing Only

3-5pm
Evening Agitation - Eco Wash & Nighty Night Gentle Wash Meditation

A two-cycle program: first, an eco-soak with Zena Cumpston and Uncle Badger Bates, bubbling up yarns about water, extraction, and what gets left behind in the rinse. Then switch to delicates for a Nighty Night Gentle Wash, a slow spin where agitation meets sustainability, and the load is finished with care, calm and a touch of softener.
Limited capacity

Sunday 19 October

10-11am
Washing and Browsing Only

11am-1pm
Morning Agitation - Un-Fold Aunties Yarn

Grab a seat at the folding table with Aunties Sandra Saunders, and Judy Watson (Waanyi) as they share memories and family stories of unpaid domestic labour, resilience and resistance. Central and grounding to The Blak Laundry, this yarn honours our histories, our women, and the healing power of truth-telling, of folding and sharing the load. This cycle un-folds the weight of work carried across generations — soaked in both grief and Blak joy, and in the strength of hands that have always held, rinsed and carried the load for us all.
Limited capacity

1-2pm
Washing and Browsing Only

2-4pm
Evening Agitation - Bet on Blak: Gambling on the Machines

The final spin is strong, sovereign, and unwashed by colonial systems. This closing agitation puts gambling, risk and Blak survival on the table. Let us bet on blak! Place your bets: the odds are always stacked, but the house of Blak never folds.
Limited capacity

4-5pm
Washing and Browsing Only