WAARI is an interdisciplinary artist whose practice moves between land, language, and body. He is a proud descendant of the Waanyi and Kalkutungu peoples of so-called Australia, and of the Ngāti Mutunga, Ngāti Manu, and Te Ātiawa iwi of Taranaki, Aotearoa (so-called New Zealand). His work braids these ancestral bloodlines and speaks to the lived experience of being Blak within places shaped by ongoing colonial presence. Drawing from both Indigenous worlds, he creates spaces of identity, resistance, and cultural continuance through contemporary visual art, sound and story-making. Printmaking is central to WAARI’s practice. Through carving wood and lino, he works with the rhythm of ink and paper, honouring teachings passed down through generations. It is a space for him to acknowledge memory and build (re)connection. WAARI has developed works across many lands, including Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Country (Naarm/Melbourne), Gimuy Walubara Yidinji Country (Cairns), Kalkutungu Country (Cloncurry and Mount Isa), and Arrernte Country (Alice Springs).
MUKI follows the cycles of life - birth, coming of age, death and rebirth - as they connect to cycles of family across generations and land across seasons.In 2024, WAARI released MUKI, drawing on memory, lived experience, and futurity. The EP has been praised for its raw emotion, cultural depth, and distinctive sound, marking WAARI as an important new voice in contemporary Blak music.
‘WILT’ visualise here
‘ONE’ official video here
Up For It: Interview with WAARI (Independent Artist of the Week) here
Banksia RRR: WAARI on new single WILT and EP MUKI here
(2025) Creative profile write-up: WAARI (Creative Victoria) here
My printmaking and carving practice is rooted in memory, resistance, and deep cultural connection, honouring the stories that live on through Country, body, and language. Etching wood and lino allows me to move slowly and intentionally, guided by the rhythm of ink, paper, and the teachings passed down to me.
*view portfolio here