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Flux

This piece reflects on flux as the natural state of existence – a constant flow of transformation connecting all living things. In science, flux measures the flow of energy or matter through a surface, describing how these quantities move and change within a system. In culture, it speaks to the same truth: nothing stands still and all things return to Country in time. The figure in this piece assumes a malleable state, open to the constant movement of energy. Pulling her eyelid down to reveal a magnetic flux symbol for an iris, and poking her tongue out, she becomes both observer and conduit of flow. Her form never fixed – like energy itself, transformative. Revealing that change is not only inevitable but essential. The physical, spiritual, and scientific are not separate realms but parts of one continuous system. What science describes as energy or flux, culture understands as the movement of spirit through Country – the unseen currents that connect all living things. Each mark and form holds that relationship: a visual expression of forces that shape both matter and meaning. Through this work, those connections become visible – showing that flow and balance are not opposing ideas, but the natural order of life itself.

Categories: Kaiela Arts Shepparton

Name: Tarn Parker

Language: Wiradjuri

Biography:

Tarn was born and nurtured on Wiradjuri Country in Wagga Wagga. She currently lives and creates on Yorta Yorta Country with her two children.
In 2014, Tarn joined Kaiela Arts and was taken under the wing of Gamilaraay artist Uncle Eric Brown.
 
A self-taught contemporary artist, Tarn enjoys painting, drawing and printmaking. Her artistry extends to larger canvases as well, with her hand bringing vibrant murals to life. Notable among these is a remarkable 12.5-meter “brain scan” mural, a kaleidoscope of colour and concept, which drew the attention of the ABC in a mini-documentary in 2021.
 
For Tarn, art has always been a vessel for expressing her ties to Country and family. Her pieces often carry heavy celestial vibes, undertones of feminism, politics, and tradition.
 
Tarn has collaborated with screen printing studio Spacecraft since 2018 where her designs made their way onto fabric for Design Roots 2. The momentum continued with Design Roots 3 – “Identity” in 2019, a selection that propelled her work to the Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair and the Country to Couture Fashion Show. Her designs were featured in the NGV and Vogue Australia online.
 
Tarn also worked closely with other Kaiela artists to create “Yalka Lotjpa Nha”, a children’s Yorta Yorta language book.
 

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© the artist / art centre