National Portrait Gallery x Canberra Enlighten Festival 2026

Following on from the success of the 2025 Enlighten Festival, our studio was invited back by the National Portrait Gallery to create another eye-catching animation for Enlighten 2026 – this time based off the deep catalogue of artworks by the prolific Yankunytjatjara woman, Kaylene Whiskey!

The animation, entitled SUPER KAYLENE WHISKEY, is projected nightly against the exterior wall of the National Portrait Gallery during the Enlighten Festival, and provides a fitting end to the NPG’s major retrospective of Kaylene’s artworks, featuring over 80 paintings, video work and installation from her early career to now, as well as a newly commissioned portrait which ran 15 November 2025 – Monday 9 March 2026.

With access to dozens of Kaylene’s artworks, our team worked closely with the NPG, Kaylene and Iwantja Arts to ensure the story that Kaylene wanted to be told – of seven fabulous sistas travelling through Kaylene’s Country on an old Greyhound bus, collecting bush tucker, flying into the stars and culminating in all-inclusive and fabulous dance party where everyone is fed Kaylene’s delicious home-made soup – carried Kaylene’s unique flavour throughout!

Our team enjoyed the process of chopping up Kaylene’s artworks and creating story and movement that reflected Kaylene’s irreverent humour, playfulness, Aṉangu culture – all while prominently featuring her favourite pop culture icons, Dolly Parton, Cher, Wonder Woman, David Bowie and more.

Indigenous music composer James Henry returned again this year for another ride to provide a spectacularly playful soundtrack to perfectly enhance the animation.

Select Artworks by Kaylene Whiskey 

Seven Sistas Story (2021)

Kaylene, Queen of the Desert (2025)

Design Process

Initial sketches

Animation Process

Storyboards

Styleframes

Animation

Launch party

In situ