Blak Country is the first of two free Wednesday night events during Volume, the Art Gallery's live music series, held across both of the Art Gallery of New South Wales buildings. Coinciding with NAIDOC Week’s celebration of the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, Blak Country will feature the icons and rising stars of Aboriginal Australian country music today, including Jarrod Hickling, Kathryn Kelly, Roger Knox, Kyla-Belle Roberts, Loren Ryan and Frank Yamma.
In between the live performances, a playlist compiled by assistant First Nations curator and Volume co-curator Liam Keenan will be heard throughout the Art Gallery. Dubbed ‘Music from Malabar Mansion’ after the nickname given to the Long Bay Correctional Complex, it features songs that have been written, performed and recorded by men and women in NSW correctional facilities as part of the Songbirds project run by the Community Restorative Centre.