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Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute
The Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute, usually referred to as Tandanya, is an art museum and performance space located on Grenfell Street in Adelaide, South Australia. It specialises in promoting Indigenous Australian art, including visual art, music, and storytelling, and has been used as a venue for Adelaide Fringe performances. It is the oldest Aboriginal-owned and -run cultural centre in Australia. It has been closed for building repairs since May 2023 and is due to reopen in February 2026.
The institute derives its name from Tarndanya, the Kaurna Aboriginal people's name for the Adelaide city centre and parklands area, meaning "place of the red kangaroo".
Tandanya is the oldest Aboriginal-owned and -run cultural centre in Australia, opened in 1989. The first exhibition featured artworks on silk created by women from Utopia in the Northern Territory, entitled Utopia — A Picture Story.
Since then it has hosted a variety of exhibitions and events, including Adelaide Fringe performances and the national launch of the Indigenous Voice to Parliament's Yes campaign in February 2023.
It is housed in the old Grenfell Street Power Station (later a TAFE college) at the eastern end of Grenfell Street in the Adelaide city centre, also the office headquarters of the South Australian Electric Light and Motive Power Company. The original building dates from 1901, but it was extensively modified and rebuilt in 1912–13, including the Palladian-style facade. The building was heritage-listed on the SA Heritage Register in November 1984. There is an "Historic Engineering Plaque" on a ground level plinth just east of the north-east corner of the building, which was dedicated by the Institution of Engineers, Australia, the Electricity Trust of South Australia and the Adelaide City Council on 6 April 1995.
The building is owned by the Aboriginal Lands Trust.
The building has been subject to many closures since 2020, not only during the COVID-19 pandemic, but also owing to numerous maintenance problems. The state government has invested in repairs and renewal of air-conditioning units, sprinkler heads, internal walls, electrical work, painting, and carpets. In 2023 there were improvements to fire safety components and emergency and exit lighting. It was due to re-open in January 2025, after "temporary" closure in April 2023. The Malinauskas government contributed A$780,000 towards the repair and upgrade work.
Discussions have taken place over several years about the new Aboriginal Art and Cultures Centre (AACC; aka Tarrkarri Centre for First Nations Cultures) as part of the Lot Fourteen precinct on North Terrace; however, a decision on Tarrkarri was still pending in October 2025 as the government sought major philanthropic funding for the new site.
Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute
The Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute, usually referred to as Tandanya, is an art museum and performance space located on Grenfell Street in Adelaide, South Australia. It specialises in promoting Indigenous Australian art, including visual art, music, and storytelling, and has been used as a venue for Adelaide Fringe performances. It is the oldest Aboriginal-owned and -run cultural centre in Australia. It has been closed for building repairs since May 2023 and is due to reopen in February 2026.
The institute derives its name from Tarndanya, the Kaurna Aboriginal people's name for the Adelaide city centre and parklands area, meaning "place of the red kangaroo".
Tandanya is the oldest Aboriginal-owned and -run cultural centre in Australia, opened in 1989. The first exhibition featured artworks on silk created by women from Utopia in the Northern Territory, entitled Utopia — A Picture Story.
Since then it has hosted a variety of exhibitions and events, including Adelaide Fringe performances and the national launch of the Indigenous Voice to Parliament's Yes campaign in February 2023.
It is housed in the old Grenfell Street Power Station (later a TAFE college) at the eastern end of Grenfell Street in the Adelaide city centre, also the office headquarters of the South Australian Electric Light and Motive Power Company. The original building dates from 1901, but it was extensively modified and rebuilt in 1912–13, including the Palladian-style facade. The building was heritage-listed on the SA Heritage Register in November 1984. There is an "Historic Engineering Plaque" on a ground level plinth just east of the north-east corner of the building, which was dedicated by the Institution of Engineers, Australia, the Electricity Trust of South Australia and the Adelaide City Council on 6 April 1995.
The building is owned by the Aboriginal Lands Trust.
The building has been subject to many closures since 2020, not only during the COVID-19 pandemic, but also owing to numerous maintenance problems. The state government has invested in repairs and renewal of air-conditioning units, sprinkler heads, internal walls, electrical work, painting, and carpets. In 2023 there were improvements to fire safety components and emergency and exit lighting. It was due to re-open in January 2025, after "temporary" closure in April 2023. The Malinauskas government contributed A$780,000 towards the repair and upgrade work.
Discussions have taken place over several years about the new Aboriginal Art and Cultures Centre (AACC; aka Tarrkarri Centre for First Nations Cultures) as part of the Lot Fourteen precinct on North Terrace; however, a decision on Tarrkarri was still pending in October 2025 as the government sought major philanthropic funding for the new site.