Sahul & Sunda Arts

Sahul & Sunda Arts We are a volunteer-led organisation supporting artistic development and cross-cultural collaborations in Northern Australia and Southeast Asia.

Thank you Dr Edwin Joseph JP: Darwin City Councillor for coming along to our performance 🙏
22/08/2026

Thank you Dr Edwin Joseph JP: Darwin City Councillor for coming along to our performance 🙏

16/08/2026

Sahul & Sunda facilitates collaborations between the Top End and Southeast Asia. We're proud to announce nine Darwin-based dancers from the Australia-Indonesia community, debuting in our premiere of Pencelupan — sharing the stories behind Batik Rifa'iyah. Led by Suara Indonesia Dance's celebrated choreographer Alfira O'Sullivan, these local dancers are learning new skills, building new friendships, and celebrating their shared Australia-Indonesia identities.

Get your tickets today 2026:
https://www.darwinfestival.org.au/whats-on/pencelupan-immersion-df26

George Brown Darwin Botanic Gardens

15/08/2026

Visionary Australian-Indonesian director, choreographer and dancer Alfira O'Sullivan brings to you the premiere of Pencelupan - Immersion, a new work bringing to life the intriguing world of Rifa'iyah batik. Showing at the stunning George Brown Darwin Botanic Gardens.

Get your tickets: https://www.darwinfestival.org.au/whats-on/pencelupan-immersion-df26

Suara Indonesia Dance Darwin Festival

14/08/2026

Step away from the everyday into the enchanting world of Batik Rifa'iyah with Sahul & Sunda, exhibiting at Darwin Festival 2026 with live performances bringing the artworks to life. This reel features exhibiting artists Ibu Basaratun, Ibu Yuliana and also the work of Ibu Nur Wakhidah and audio by MJMUSICS.

13/08/2026

Presented by Sahul & Sunda Arts, this exhibition brings works from Batang, Indonesia, to Australia for the first time. Batik Rifa'iyah embodies a rich visual world shaped by lush tropical botanicals, Sufi beliefs and enduring cultural practices. Each work reflects the artists’ deep connection to their environment and their intimate botanical knowledge.

The exhibition introduces the talented women behind each of these works, including visiting artists Ibu Trihandayani Mulyati and Ibu Nandiroh.

Alongside the exhibition, enjoy film screenings, artist talks, hands-on workshops and a living botanical batik walk through the Gardens.

12/08/2026

Javanese composer, musician and performer Cahwati Sugiarto is travelling to the Top End for the first time to perform her original live score as part of the Pencelupan performance: a celebration of batik Rifa'iyah art, produced by Sahul & Sunda. Her music weaves together the sonic world of Central Java with the landscape of Darwin's Dry Season nights. Witness Cahwati's captivating performance live among the tropical plants of George Brown Darwin Botanic Gardens.

11/08/2026

Batik tulis involves the application of hot wax onto material using a canting to create the desired motifs before submerging the cloth into a dye bath. The meticulous process is repeated for each new colour. In the Rifa'iyah tradition, every part of cloth is covered in intricate designs and a single batik tulis work may take between 3-12 months to complete.

10/08/2026

Join us at Pencelupan - an immersive performance that brings the Batik Rifa'iyah art of dyeing to life. Directed and choreographed by Alfira O’Sullivan (here with Suara Indonesia Dance co-performers Daniella Mariner & Jemma Malik) with an original score composed and performed by accomplished Javanese musician Cahwati, this is an experience not to be missed. Taking place this Darwin Festival in the luscious surrounds of the George Brown Darwin Botanic Gardens.

Get your tickets: https://www.darwinfestival.org.au/whats-on/pencelupan-immersion-df26

Sahul & Sunda Arts provides exchange, collaboration and development opportunities to under-represented artists.We also h...
10/08/2026

Sahul & Sunda Arts provides exchange, collaboration and development opportunities to under-represented artists.

We also hold community events so that you can get involved directly - meet artists, learn about their artforms, build new friendships and collaborations.

All artwork purchased from the Sahul & Sunda gallery supports individual artists directly as well as through our artist development fund... All reasons to feel good about your addiction to beautiful handmade art.

Visit the Gallery: https://sahulandsunda.com/

Darwin's Grey Panthers are over 60, unstoppable - and as of August 2025, trained in Acehnese body percussion.When Suara ...
22/07/2026

Darwin's Grey Panthers are over 60, unstoppable - and as of August 2025, trained in Acehnese body percussion.

When Suara Indonesia arrived at Tracks Dance Company to lead a workshop as part of our Sahul meets Sunda project, they quickly realised the usual floor-based format wouldn't work for the group. So they innovated - adapting the traditional sitting style to chairs, on the spot, without missing a beat.

“I really had no idea about the different dances and cultures in Aceh alone. Just goes to show that no matter how old you are, there is always more to learn.”
- Workshop participant

Part of a series supported by the Australian Government Regional Arts Fund through Darwin Community Arts.

www.sahulandsundaarts.org

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Darwin, NT

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