Enlighten Festival is back for 2025 and will once again light up the nation’s capital over 11 days of culture and creativity between Friday 28 February – Monday 10 March.
Illuminations
Ryan Presley is a Marri Ngarr artist whose work challenges traditional power structures and questions how portraiture has historically been used to reinforce ideologies of conquest and colonisation.
Commissioned for the 2025 Enlighten Festival, Inferno is an animation work that extends the narratives and imagery that appear in Presley’s major mural installation Paradise won, which has been on display at the entrance to the National Portrait Gallery for the past 12 months.
The scenes in Inferno, like Paradise won, are based on the lived experiences of the artist’s friends and family, who become heroic figures that evoke the portrayals of the saints and archangels in Christian iconography. With their flaming halos, they are depicted in acts of resistance, confrontation and escape.
In this animation, systems of subjugation and control are represented as monsters but also through instruments of surveillance; CCTV cameras, or helicopters who scan the earth for mining companies. Perspectives shift as the narrative vignettes fold into one another. Each scene plays with the line between control and release: across shifting landscapes, our heroes outwit and outrun these agents of destruction with courage, resilience and strength. This work, and the mural that precedes it, celebrates First Nations survival and autonomy.
Activations
Join us at our sensory-friendly Access Hub, designed to provide a relaxing and inclusive environment for everyone. Here's what you can look forward to:
Delicious Treats: Enjoy bush tucker-flavoured ice cream from Stripey Sundae on 7 and 8 March.
Sensory Kits: Pick up one of our sensory kits, perfect for those with sensory sensitivities or neurodiverse needs.
Activities: Engage in a retro game inspired by Ryan Presley's mural 'Paradise Won'.
Come and experience a welcoming space where you can relax, regulate, and recharge. We look forward to seeing you there!
