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BIO / CV

Jarra Karalinar Steel is Multidisciplinary artist from Melbourne Australia, based in Melbourne’s south in Euro Yuroke (St Kilda) on Boonwurrung country.

A Graduate from RMIT , Master of Arts (Art in public spaces) 2020 and The University of Melbourne / Victorian College of the Arts ( Graduating in 2015) with a Bachelor of Production; Costume and prop Design being her main focus of studies.

Growing up in Melbourne’s Inner North surrounded by the Urban Koorie and Torres Strait Islander, Melbourne artist community in the late 80s and 90’s, which sparked a love for all the creative arts from a very young age. Contributing artists like the late Ellen Jose, Lin Onus and her cousins Peter and Maree Clarke as strong influences in her ambition to be in the creative arts.

Jarra is of the Yaluk-ut Weelam clan of the Boonwurrung, Wemba Wemba, Pairrebeenne/Trawlwoolway with lines to the Barrup Barrup clans. She also is of English and Scottish descent.

Jarra is a passionate advocate for Self-Representation/determination of Victorian First Peoples Art and Culture and is determined in making sure it is kept alive and thriving.

Jarra is currently the curator for the Rising Melbourne Art Trams.

ABOUT HER CURRENT ART PRACTICE.

Jarra is a multidisciplinary artist known for her Melbourne Art Tram, powerful poster art, large-scale public installations, LED Wurrung works, augmented reality, digital art, emu egg engravings, and commemorative signage.

Jarra’s work explores her identity, memories, future folklore, Blak Futurism and her lived experiences growing up in Melbourne and living on country surrounded by culture with knowledge passed down through her family and Elders.

Her focus in public/community art looks at ways to insert contemporary cultural visual language into the urban and/or digital landscape by reclaiming space and belonging through visual storytelling.

Jarra translates all this through her own contemporary lens, evolving it respectfully with Elder permission in whatever form that it leads her to. Using personal iconography to create objects using mix mediums including natural materials (emu eggs), found objects, resin, led lighting and computer aided design.

Over the last few years she has embraced bright vibrant colours which she draws from not only growing up in an urban environment with a love of street art but she is also inspired by the colours of nature around her. The main colours she uses are inspired by the blue sky, native wattle, kangaroo apple flowers and pigface flowers.

She uses these for many personal reasons, one of which is to draw the eye in to make the unseen, seen. Showing the unseen parts of herself and community, culture and the stories she creates.

PROJECTS

PUBLIC ART AND COMMISSIONED WORKS:

  • Rising Melbourne Art Trams Curator 2022, 2023 and 2024

  • Now or Never art trail August 2023

  • ACMI “How I see it“ 16 Dec 2022 – 19 Feb 2023, Curated Kate ten Buuren (Taungurung)

  • Front Beach Back Beach “SAV/OUR” Collaboration with Kait James 18 Nov - 27 Nov 2022, Sullivan Bay, Sorrento, Curated by Steven Rhall

  • Clarendon Street Arcade - YAWA - Collaboration Playable Melbourne - RMIT Future play labs, N'arweet Carolyn Briggs and Narayana Johnson - 2022

  • Craft x Home Richmond - Artwork Acquisition - 2022

  • OVAHS Mural Collaboration with Molly Hunt, Kununurra WA 2022

  • ASRC Mural Collaboration with Abbey Rich and Olana Janfa Dandenong and Footscray 2022.

  • WURRUNG SERIES - Melbourne CBD - City of Melbourne 2021 - present - permanent works

  • Flash FWD 2021 -present https://flash-fwd.com/artist/jarra-karalinar-steel

  • Mural Collaboration with Matt Adnate Patterson River July 2021

  • Rising: Melbourne Festival – Art Tram 2021 https://rising.melbourne/wormhole/2021-melbourne-art-trams-jarra-karalinar

  • Rising: Melbourne Festival – Moving objects 2021 https://rising.melbourne/festival-program/moving-objects-cbd-posters

  • Yirramboi, Resilience in Isolation 2020 - My Boonwurrung Queens

  • ACMI, NAIDOC WEEK 2020 digital work for website and socials - Tjanabi

  • DueWest Fest Footscray Arts Center, Boonwurrung song “come with purpose” working with James Henry for music and Aunty Fay Muir for translation. 2019

  • BlakHeart Fest @ Fed Sq Melbourne 2019.

  • Metro Tunnel Creative Project Hoardings at City Square Melbourne. To celebrate the 2019 YIRRAMBOI festival. May - Spring 2019

PROJECTS

  • Curator RISING Art trams 2024 - Blak on Track

  • Curator RISING Art trams 2023 - Blak Futurism

  • Curator RISING Art trams 2022 - Unapologetically Blak

  • Untitled game with Guck inc. (Art Director) 2021 - present

  • Kummargii Yulendji project - Troy Innocent and Carolyn Briggs – July 2021 - Present

  • Possum Spirits / WALERT MURRUP Project JUNE 2020 - Supported by the City of Melbourne COVID-19 Arts Grants 2020

  • Covid-19 ART response 2020 - FREE Self Care Posters April 2020

RAP COMMISIONS:

  • Artwork for City of Glen Eira RAP and Plaque 2021

  • Art work for Glen Eira Reconciliation Action Plan 2018 - work currently in their collection

  • Artwork for the Alfred Hospital RAP: Soul of our country. 2017 - work in their collection.

  • Art work for City of Port Phillip RAP and Yalukut Willam signs: A time of chaos. 2015

RESIDENCIES:

  • MPRG/FBBB Police Point Cottage residency Feb, August and Nov 2022

  • Tidal Volume Digital exchange Residency with Footscray arts, Grunt Gallery and Blue Cabin – September 2021 -Oct 2021

EXHIBITIONS:

  • IMA - The Future is First Nations IMA LIVE September 2021

  • Brunswick Street Gallery Small Works Prize show 7 – 22 January 2021

  • Becoming You: An incomplete guide - Immigration Museum - storyteller 2020 /2021

  • RMIT ART GRAD online festival November 2020

  • Space 32 “SPACE LAUNCH” (September 2013)

WORKSHOPS:

TALKS:

EVENTS:

Co-curator and creative director: YWN fest 2021:

  • Projects I was involved in: Gareeal, Special Opening Night Concert, Replay, Koorie (1988): The early protest songs of Archie Roach and Soju Gang @ the launch of the Yaluk-ut Weelam Ngargee x Charlotte Allingham Mural Project.

  • CoPP NAIDOC 2020 online events curator: Jack Charles w smiling mind. Rubi Redd colouring in comp.

MEDIA AND PUBLICATIONS

INTERVIEWS

ACMI: https://youtu.be/txVPuFYK7ro?si=SRAD9_7QTPnHoBqI

ACMI: https://www.acmi.net.au/stories-and-ideas/futurist-first-peoples-artworks-jarra-karalinar-steel/

FCAC: https://footscrayarts.com/2021/11/tidal-volume-interview-with-maya-hodge-and-jarra-karalinar-steel/

RISING: https://rising.melbourne/wormhole/2021-melbourne-art-trams-jarra-karalinar

GRANTS/AWARDS:

SPACE 32 PROJECTS/EXHIBITIONS co-curated:

Jarra set up and ran Space 32 in 2013, a community creative arts-hub based in South Yarra.
Space 32 was set up with the help of the Boon Wurrung Foundation and Stonnington Council. After running successful events and workshops. Sadly the lease came to and end in 2015.

  • Artist and Community Morning Tea @ Space 32 in collaboration with Torch and inner south community health (September 2013)

  • “Hidden Beauty” | Melbourne International Fringe Festival | with Supporting Exhibition “MINT” 2013 with guest curator Gonzalo Ceballos

  • “SPACE LAUNCH” (September 2013) with co-curator Georgia Anson

  • UPCYCLED – Up-cycling Workshop in collaboration with Torch, inner south community health, sacred heart mission and the city of Stonnington (November 2013)

  • Space 32 Pop-Up Exhibition Artists- Emily Castle, Jaime Powell, Sophie Westerman (March 2014)

  • Artificial World (end of lease) with guest co-curator Georgia Anson April 2014

VCA PRODUCTIONS:

  • Dancescape 2010 - Costume assistant

  • Drama season 2010- Set assistant

  • City of Angels - 2011 Directed by Gary Young - Costume Assistant

  • Article One - 2012 Directed by Bagryana Popov - Design Assistant.

  • Show Bites 2014 Dir. Sally Bourne - Props designer/maker / manager

  • A Little Touch of Chaos 2014 Dir. Iain Sinclair - Set assistant

  • One Act Plays 2014 - Prop maker/manager

  • Wominjeka Festival 2015 Past Racism/Future Rights Dir. Yagan Satour and Genevieve Grieves - Costume Designer/maker

  • Prague Quadrennial 2015 Tribes - Colonies in Conflict - Mask designer/maker

  • Blood Ties (Film) 2015 Dir. Christel Chia - Costume Designer

FASHION/COSTUME:

  • Assistant to Victoria Nguyen for music video clip “Tokyo Bullet” 2009.

  • Assistant to fashion designer Victoria Nguyen  for her graduating show "Primitive Paradox" for ifa Paris, in Paris, France 2017

TOURS:

  • RMIT MAPS Bologna and Venice Tour 2019

  • Paris 2016-2017 Cultural Exchange

  • Prague Quadrennial 2015 Tribes - Colonies in Conflict

BOARDS AND COMMITTEES:

  • National Communications Museum First Peoples Advisory Committee 2021 - Present

  • Board Member, Collingwood Yards First Peoples Board 2019 – 2021

  • Curatorial advisory group for Who's Afraid of Public Space? ACCA 2020 – Present

  • Board Member, Blakcloud 2020- present

  • Photo2022 Indigenous Advisory Committee 2020- 2023

  • Melbourne Festival Shadow Board 2018-2019

  • Board Member, Arts Worker and Consultant – The Boonwurrung Foundation – 2010 - 2019

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