Acknowledgement of Country

Dharug

Bayadyinyang budyari Dharug yiyura Dharug Ngurra.
Bayady’u budyari Dharug Warunggadgu baranyiin barribugu.
Bayady’u budyari wagulgu yiyuragu Ngurra bimalgu Blacktown City. Flannel flowers dyurali bulbuwul.
Yanmannyang mudayi Dharug Ngurrawa. Walama ngyini budbud dali Dharug Ngurra Dharug yiyura baranyiin barribugu.

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English

We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of this Land, the Dharug people, and their continued connection to Country.
We pay our respects to Elders from yesterday to tomorrow.
We extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples of Blacktown City where the flannel flowers still grow proud and strong.
We will walk softly on this land and open our hearts to Country as the Dharug people have for tens of thousands of years.

Credit to: Dharug woman Rhiannon Wright, daughter of Leanne ‘Mulgo’ Watson Redpath and granddaughter of Aunty Edna Watson

Loading Events
Enjoy 2 workshops inspired by Monica’s creative process

Delve into artist Monica Rani Rudhar’s Makers Space and explore how she uses drawing, mark-making, jewellery and festive garlands as part of her art making process.

Festive Garlands!

Saturday 12 July
10.30 am to noon

Create your own celebratory paper garland with your family and friends in this intergenerational workshop.

Festive garlands in India have multiple purposes, such as symbols of welcome, respect, devotion and celebration. They are used to decorate deities, individuals, and even structures like homes and roads during important occasions.

Make your own paper garland to decorate your home or gift to a loved one!

Suitable for all ages, children under 5 are free
Registration required
Cost: $5 + booking fee
Limited spaces available, book your spot now

Book here

Printed Treasures!

Wednesday 16 July
10.30 am to noon

Capture the beauty of your most loved treasure in this drawing and print-making workshop! Using a treasured small object as inspiration, you will work with line, shape and colour to create a printed artwork.

No experience needed, all print-making materials are provided. Participants are required to bring an object that they wish to focus on (we also welcome photographs of objects if your object is too precious to bring with you).

Suitable for 6 to 12 years
Cost: $5 + booking fee
Limited spaces available
Book your spot now

Book here

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bio

Monica Rani Rudhar is an artist working on Gadigal Land across video, performance and sculpture. Born to Indian and Romanian migrant parents, her work speaks to longing and loss as she navigates the cultural disconnection that stems from the complexities of her multi-racial ethnicity. Her work is delicately personal and takes the shape of a restorative autobiographical archive that seeks to record her own histories where these stories can exist permanently, unlike those that have been passed down orally from her family which remain fragmented. Her practice attempts to restore familial histories, traditions and rituals that have been dispersed by migration and draws on the labor required tomove passed the barriers that stand in the way of reforging these connections.

Monica graduated from UNSW Art and Design (Honours) in 2021, and has exhibited extensively in NSW including Pompom Galarie, Verge Gallery, Pari, Firstdraft, Tiles Lewisham and has performed at Carriageworks as part of Vivid Sydney 2022. She has been commissioned by Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre and Powerhouse and was the recent winner of the 2023 Gosford Emerging Art Prize. She has recently shown with Martin Browne Contemporary and will be presenting a new body of work for her solo show with them in October 2025.

You can find Monica on Instagram here

This project is presented by Blacktown Arts and supported by Blacktown City Council and the NSW Government through Create NSW.

Image Credits:

Monica Rani Rudhar’s artbook in studio, 2025, photography by Garry Trinh
Monica Rani Rudhar’s garland art in studio, 2025, photography by Garry Trinh
Monica Rani Rudhar’s artbook in studio, 2025, photography by Garry Trinh
Monica Rani Rudhar in studio, 2024, photography by Eloise Fuss

I’m an Artist

I’m an Artist

Blacktown Arts supports artists through annual opportunities across prizes, exhibitions, funding opportunities, and studio spaces for local creatives.

Learn MoreI’m an Artist
Blacktown City Art Prize

Blacktown City Art Prize

Blacktown City’s annual acquisitive art prize open to artists across Australia, with a prize pool of over $23,500.

Learn MoreBlacktown City Art Prize

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