OPENING 5:30 – 7:30PM SATURDAY 17 JANUARY 2026
Welcome to Country, Aunty Delta Kay
Performance by Maddie King
Following the group exhibition NYAA at the Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Cooperative in Sydney and group mural at Bay Leaf Cafe, the 2025 cohort of 'Bulaan Dalang Galii Naa Gan Ngaa Leen Duu' artists in residence will have their final exhibition at Lone Goat Gallery, Byron Bay.
The exhibition Jugun features works from 11 emerging artists Taz Clay, Danza Deacon, Loren Del, Jo-Anne Driessens, Laila Duroux, Peter Faulkner, Danielle Gorogo, Oral Laurie, Val Smith, Kyra Togo and Penina Welch. Each of these artists are connected to or living on Bundjalung Country and the exhibition was curated by residency artist mentor Kylie Caldwell.
Jugun - Country
Jugun (Country) is a long-lived bond that shapes our identity. Jugun (Country) is more than land and a place to live; it is a powerful spirit that embodies both the ancient and the new. As timeless as the eons yet as fresh as tomorrow, Jugun invites us to explore the connections that bind us to Country and to each other. Jugun yearns for deep relatedness and respectful mutualities, urging us to honour the interconnectedness of our co-existence.
Artists, through their visual stories, call us to look, connect, converse, and grow a deeper understanding of our reliance, experience and relationships with Jugun.
'Bulaan Dalang Galii Naa Gan Ngaa Leen Duu' is a 12-month residency for First Nations creatives on Bundjalung Country, developed by The Returning Indigenous Corporation. It supports emerging artists by providing opportunities to connect, explore various art forms, and enhance their skills in the arts business. The program name was translated by Roy Gordon.
The 2025 Artist Residency program is supported by Create NSW Creative Koori Projects, Byron Shire Council and Nagnata.
ARTIST BIOS
Taz Clay is a Kalkatunga Bwgcolman artist currently residing on Bundjalung in Lismore, on Widjabul Wiabal Lands. He began his art practice in 2013, motivated by a desire to tell stories that evoke emotional responses and reflect his cultural heritage. Taz's work primarily focuses on drawing, painting, and contemporary Indigenous line work. In 2024, he showcased his talent at the AARI Gallery in Lismore as part of an all-Indigenous group show. That same year, he was commissioned to collaborate with a group to create artwork for the Lismore Regional Gallery footpath as part of the Safer Cities program. In 2025, Taz was selected to participate in The Returnings Art and Culture residency.
Danza Kay Deacon is a Bundjalung artist with over 25 years of experience in vibrant paintings and wall hangings. Returning to art for therapy, she draws inspiration from her homelands and their spiritual essence. Her work explores themes of nature and culture, reflecting her heritage and inviting others to connect with the relationship between art and the natural world.
Loren Del Signore is a proud Bundjalung, Yaegl, and Italian artist from Ballina, where her stunning country inspires her artwork. She creates contemporary Aboriginal art known for its vibrant color palettes that vividly capture the essence of the land and its stories. Her work is informed by a unique feminine perspective and profoundly reflects her heritage. Each piece is more than just art; it is a vibrant celebration of culture and identity, featuring a rich visual display infused with saltwater and sunset hues. @ginibidesigns
Jo-Anne Driessens is a Guwa-Koa, Gungarri, Kuku Yalanji photographer, curator, and cultural advisor with over two decades of experience. Her work explores First Nations storytelling through photography, archives, and community engagement. Recent projects include New Light: Photography Now + Then (2024), Carbon_Dating (2024–25), and Viewpoints (2021–22). Jo-Anne has contributed extensively to cultural preservation and exhibition development across Australia, bringing a strong visual and curatorial voice to Indigenous histories, representation, and knowledge systems in both traditional and contemporary contexts. @driessensjoanne
Laila Duroux is an emerging Bundjalung-Gumbaynggirr artist recognised for her innovative use of materials and creative expression. She excels in drawing and has a passion for creating detailed small sculptures. Laila's artwork explores her imagination and plans to incorporate clay and wood in her future projects. Her art invites viewers to engage with a world of imaginative play, showcasing her ability to infuse life into her creations and foster a dialogue that transcends traditional artistic boundaries.
Peter Faulkner is a Bundjalung man from the Widjabul clan who has lived around Lismore his entire life. He listens deeply to Country, recognising the signs and messages it offers through nature—patterns that reveal what’s to come. Listening to the ancestors that communicate through these signs and shifts in energy; their presence is sometimes felt in the dance and song carried by the land. @peter.faulkner.3914
Danielle Gorogo is a multidisciplinary artist living in the Northern Rivers of New South Wales, close to her matriarchal Ancestors’ Country of Djanbun (Platypus) clan in the Washpool River area on Bundjalung Country. Her art weaves the rich threads of her First Nations, Papua New Guinean, Māori and Micronesian heritage into a vibrant tapestry of story and spirit.@daniellegorogo
Oral Laurie is a talented Yaegl - Widjabul Wiabal artist known for his vibrant artwork that reflects his rich cultural heritage. Raised in Lismore, Nimbin, Evans Head, and Yamba, Oral draws inspiration from his homelands and family stories. With over 20 years of experience, he specialises in acrylics, creating detailed depictions of tribal men and animal totems. Oral honors his father's and uncles' legacy by infusing his work with cultural significance, ensuring that their stories and traditions continue to thrive. @orallaurie
Val Smith is a Widjabul Wiabul woman, born and raised and currently living in Lismore. She uses various art forms to share her experiences from childhood through to Motherhood. Val’s art practice deepens and strengthens her connection to culture. She offers an array of prints and textiles adorned with original artwork, alongside ceramic and woven pieces, with a deep commitment to accessibility, crafting works that honour all bodies and creating artworks that are inclusive across the spectrum of socio-economic backgrounds. Val has exhibited alongside her daughter Nunja at Lismore based gallery Amarina AARI and has aspirations to exhibit more in her home town. @val_smith_art
Kyra Togo is a proud Minyungbal, Tagalaka and South Sea Island woman. Her primary medium of expression is weaving, favouring the most available fibres in her surroundings, such as Pandanus, Lomandra, and Raffia. Preserving cultural fibre knowledge, Kyra creates woven pieces that embody the beauty in functional artworks. She carries the continuation of weaving craft passed down by her ancestors and can now pass that on to her three children while living on Country. On her journey of reclaiming ancestral knowledge and traditional ways of being through song, dance and story, weaving is an essential practice that helps her to realign her spirit, remember the stories of her old people and honour and respect Country – never harming or taking more than is needed to create art and woven works. @minyunbalgal
Penina Welch is an emerging multi-disciplinary artist whose matriarchal land is Yaegl and patriarchal land is Widjabul Wiabul, part of the Bundjalung nation. Inspired by Country and the intrinsic memory of her long standing culture, Penina creates art that is heart focused and expresses the stories of Bundjalung life and community, her practice includes painting and weaving. Penina first exhibited in the group show “This Place” with Serpentine Gallery in Lismore. @ninaw_84