About YIRRAMBOI

Sherene Stewart is a Taungurung/Filipino curator, artist, and director living and working on Boon Wurrung and Woi Wurrung Country. As Co-Lead and Artistic Lead of YIRRAMBOI, the internationally renowned First Nations biennial, Sherene has shaped a bold and expansive curatorial vision since her appointment in 2022, championing ambitious new work, world premieres, and multidisciplinary practices that centre First Nations voices on local and global stages. Her critically acclaimed work includes Table for 6 at Arts Centre Melbourne, a powerful and intimate curatorial project that brought together leading First Nations artists in a work of deep cultural resonance and critical dialogue. Across her practice, Sherene is known for creating rigorous, community-led platforms that privilege cultural authority, storytelling, and experimentation. Working both nationally and internationally, Sherene has developed and led projects in collaboration with First Nations and Indigenous communities across Canada, Aotearoa (New Zealand), and the Asia-Pacific. Her international practice is grounded in reciprocal exchange rather than extraction, prioritising relationship-building, cultural protocol, and shared knowledge systems. Through this, she has fostered meaningful global networks that connect Indigenous artists and communities in ways that are accountable, future-focused, and self-determined. At the core of Sherene’s practice is a deep commitment to First Nations creatives and community. She prioritises cultural safety, knowledge exchange, and intergenerational development, creating spaces that are inclusive, intersectional, and grounded in sovereignty. Her work continues to expand the possibilities of First Nations arts practice, both within Australia and across international contexts.

Emily Wells is a proud Kamilaroi producer and playwright currently working with YIRRAMBOI Festival. Emily is passionate about using performance to drive social change, and supporting artists to thrive in the creative process. As a Producer, Emily has produced small to large scale performances, gatherings and creative developments with emerging to established First Nations creatives across Australia. Since being awarded the Emerging Female Arts Leader at the Matilda Awards 2020, Emily has worked closely with leading independents and companies such as ILBIJERRI Theatre Company, Karul Projects, Digi Youth Arts, Queensland Theatre, La Boite Theatre Company, and Walt Disney World. As a Playwright, Emily’s debut play Face to Face premiered at Metro Arts (Brisbane) as part of Playlab Theatre’s 2022 Season. Emily was selected for Playlab Theatre’s year-long script development programs Alpha Processing and the inaugural Sparks program, delivered in partnership with QPAC and Moogahlin Performing Arts.

MAINEY is a proud Blak creative and proud Guncle, part-time chaos coordinator who firmly believes every problem can be solved with a good yarn, a laugh and maybe an iced almond chai latte. Known for serving culture, community and just a little bit of drama (the fun kind), Mainey loves creating spaces where mob can shine, artists can thrive and everyone feels like they've been invited to the family gathering. Equal parts organiser and instigator, he’s usually somewhere between making impossible things happen and asking, "Who's bringing the feed?" When he’s not producing events or championing Blak excellence, you'll find Mainey spoiling his dog like the only child they never had, romanticising everyday life, collecting half-finished creative ideas, and making friends with strangers in the supermarket queue. Proudly Blak and unapologetically that Guncle, Mainey believes culture is meant to be lived out loud. Their philosophy? Back your mob, laugh often, take up space, and never trust anyone who says they're "not really hungry" before a feed. Deadly. FAB. Community comes first. That's Mainey.

Rosie Kalina is a proud Wemba Wemba and Gunditjmara Queer woman, and is Access Advisor for YIRRAMBOI Festival. Rosie’s background is in visual arts and curating, community arts work and producing. Rosie has engaged in multiple First Nations youth-led projects, such as co-curating ‘Blak to the future’ series at Footscray Community Arts (2018, 2019, 2020) and was lead director of ‘Young Onez First Nations Youth Summit’ presented by YIRRAMBOI at Narrm Ngarrgu (2024). Rosie has most recently exhibited her artworks as part of ‘a bit thing’ Art Installation at Arts House (2026). As part of her role as YIRRAMBOI’s Access Advisor, Rosie engages closely with d/Deaf and Disabled First Nations Artists and Community; she is determined to create more accessible experiences for Festival audiences and artists. Rosie aims to ensure First Nations autonomy and truth telling be at the forefront of every project she is part of, with the guidance of her elders and community.

Sage Nokomis Wright is an Anishinaabekwe producer who thrives when creating platforms that centre First Nations storytelling and exchange on both local and international stages. Her work has fostered long-term partnerships across borders, supporting collaborations that connect artists globally. With a history of navigating complex cultural and institutional spaces, she is committed to nurturing experimental practice, supporting the conditions for bold ideas to emerge, evolve and endure. Sage has produced, managed, and curated international artistic exchanges across leading festivals including Festival TransAmériques (2018), OFFTA (2018), Edinburgh Fringe Festival (2019), Edinburgh International Festival (2019), Edinburgh International Book Festival (2019), International Indigenous Music Summit (2019), and Slut Island Festival. Sage is a Why Not Theatre ThisGen Fellow (2021), is the former Co-Chair of International Relationships / Board Member of the Professional Association of Canadian Theatres (PACT, 2021-2023), and has served on the board of DARKSPARK, an internationally recognized not-for-profit organization and culturally diverse network of recording artists, educators, music producers and filmmakers who harness pop culture as an effective catalyst for social change. Alongside her producing work, Sage has collaborated extensively with experimental artists and musicians as a director, developing short films and music videos that sit at the intersection of performance, visual art, and contemporary music.

Nancy Wijohn (Te Rarawa, Ngāi Tūhoe, Ngāti Tahu, Ngāti Whaoa) is a producer, performer and co-director of Body Island, an Indigenous interdisciplinary arts organisation based in Tāmaki Makaurau, Aotearoa. With more than two decades in the performing arts, her practice spans producing, performance and Indigenous creative exchange. Alongside her long-term artistic collaborator and creative mentor Kelly Nash, Nancy has co-developed and produced interdisciplinary works that centre whakapapa, embodied practice and First Peoples storytelling. Body Island's contemporary dance theatre work Mythosoma was co-commissioned by YIRRAMBOI 2025 and the Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts 2026, beginning an ongoing relationship with the festival through collaboration, mentorship and shared values. Nancy's producing practice has been shaped through mentorship at Te Pou Theatre, international residencies at Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, and collaborations with Indigenous artists and communities across Aotearoa, Australia and Canada. Her work is grounded in whakawhanaungatanga, creating opportunities for cultural exchange, reciprocal learning and the development of meaningful artistic relationships across Indigenous communities. Nancy is honoured to join YIRRAMBOI as International Producer in Residence for 2026 to 2027 and looks forward to contributing to the delivery of the 2027 festival alongside First Peoples artists, communities and the YIRRAMBOI team.

Nathan Mudge is a producer and creative working across First Nations and Pacific arts and contemporary culture. From Aotearoa by way of Turtle Island, now narrm, he has produced for Kia Mau Festival (Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington), Talking Stick Festival (xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh and səlilwətaɬ territories), the International Indigenous Music Summit (T’karonto), and now YIRRAMBOI. He leads Toi Factory, a creative hub indigenising how “industry” produces art, and is a creator of children’s TV series Mr Hugo’s Little Library. He makes cool things with mates, and space for others to play.

Matthew is a marketing, creative, and digital specialist with a background in brand partnerships and youth culture marketing. Now with YIRRAMBOI, he channels his experience into creative campaign development and partnerships strategy.