Deadly Arts

24 May - 20 July 2025

Deadly Arts is an initiative based on Dharug land at Nepean Creative and Performing Arts High School, delivered in partnership with the NSW Department of Education Arts Unit. Committed to supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in deepening cultural knowledge and ancestral connections, this program provides opportunities for young First Nations artists to celebrate cultural identity through contemporary art practice.

This exhibition features the works of Deadly Arts students and graduates from public high schools across Western Sydney, demonstrating what the Deadly Arts Program is all about: creativity through the uniting of art, Dreamtime, people, and Country. Having been guided by experienced arts educators, practicing First Nations artists and cultural organisations, these students engage in innovative and authentic modes of artistic expression to explore songlines, cultural identity, and ancestral ties.

Offering a platform for storytelling, empowerment and cultural pride, the Deadly Arts exhibition showcases a new generation of First Nations artists from Western Sydney, emphasising their roles in shaping a dynamic, inclusive cultural future. By highlighting the diverse, vibrant and evolving creative practices of these ‘Deadly’ artists, Deadly Arts seeks not only to nurture artistic growth, but to contribute to broader community understanding, reconciliation, and celebration of First Nations cultures.

Penrith Regional Gallery acknowledges and pays respect to the Dharug and Gundungarra people, who are the traditional owners of the Penrith Local Government Area, and the land on which this exhibition takes place. We also pay our respect to elders past, present and emerging, and to the First Nations people living in our community today.

PROGRAM DATES

National Reconciliation Week: 27 May – 3 June 2025

Exhibition opening: Saturday 31 May | All welcome, free entry.

NAIDOC Week: 6 – 13 July 2025

This exhibition is supported by Penrith City Council, Penrith Performing & Visual Arts, the NSW Government through Create NSW, and TLE Electricals.