Exactly 10 years ago today, on 1 July 2011, Barkindji man Kent Morris started work for The Torch, appointed to the new role of Statewide Indigenous Arts Officer to deliver the Statewide Indigenous Arts in Prison and Community Program. Kent was tasked with designing, developing and delivering an 18-month pilot program for Indigenous offenders and

Flick Chafer-Smith is a Ngarrindjeri artist and Torch staff member who creates geometric, tessellated paintings inspired from moments in her childhood and stories passed on to her. It is important to me to share my memories with others, and the continuation of knowledge being shared. Painting for Flick is a calming process and she loves

Marbukk is a long-standing participant of The Torch, who has been making art and engaging in the program since 2016. He paints bright and colourful paintings, mostly of the landscape, wildlife and birds of the Mallee. He often paints thickly textured works, such as his Confined 12 artwork ‘Nature and the Land at Work’, which

Melissa Bell is a proud Gunditjimara and Yorta Yorta woman making art deeply connected to her Country and culture. Since joining The Torch program every painting of Melissa’s has sold. Making art makes me feel connected to my land. To be an Aboriginal female artist, just to put down a beautiful picture from my Country

Daph is a Koko-bera artist and post-release participant who has produced 16 works since joining the program at the start of 2020 in his unique abstract style. I wasn’t making art before prison and didn’t consider myself artistic at all. But you do a lot of self-reflection in jail and I learnt that I had

ONLINE The Torch is excited to be presenting Confined 12 online on our website. We invite you to view Confined 12 through our Artwork Mosaic and Virtual Gallery, and to explore video stories featuring The Torch artists. The Confined 12 online exhibition opens at 8am this Thursday 13th May. IN PERSON Confined 12 can also be experienced in person at Glen

As a child, Robby (Wergaia/Wotjobaluk) painted with his grandmother who had a big influence on his artistic life. He wants his children to see his artworks as life lessons to learn from, drawing on personal experiences, cultural history and family to create his art. Robby paints bold artworks of his Country and maintains a strong

Trevor is a proud Barkindji man and has been a participant in The Torch program since he signed up in 2014. My people are river people who have traditionally lived and hunted fish, turtles, yabbies and clams along the Baarka (Darling River) for many thousands of years. We are the direct descendants of Mungo Man

Leroy is a Yorta Yorta artist from Echuca who first joined The Torch program in 2014. Leroy paints to share his story, and feel pride in having created art that others will enjoy. When I paint, all my problems go away, I lose myself in my art In 2017, Leroy exhibited at Museum Victoria in

Last week Torch staff Susannah (Martu), Tarsha (Kuku Yalanji) and Flick (Ngarrindjeri), along with artist Thelma Beeton (Palawa), connected to female participants currently incarcerated at DPFC prison via live video link, in celebration of International Women’s Day. The in-prison participants enjoyed a tour of The Torch gallery, offices and storeroom followed by everyone sharing their