The Fellowship grants a $30,000 acquisitive award to support professional development and excellence in contemporary visual art.
A multi-disciplinary artist based in St Kilda, Ms Steel is a descendant of the Yaluk-ut Weelam clan of the Boonwurrung.
Recently coming off her three year tenure as curator for Rising Melbourne Art Trams and a current resident of the Council managed Shakespeare Grove Artist Studios, she is recognised for her powerful poster art, large-scale public installations, LED Wurrung works, augmented reality, digital art, video games, emu egg engravings and commemorative signage.
"The Rupert Bunny Foundation Visual Arts Fellowship presents a profound opportunity for my professional development as an artist, particularly within the context of the City of Port Phillip, which sits on the traditional lands of my ancestors, the Yaluk-ut Weelam people," Ms Steel said.
She will use the Fellowship funding to research and create Yawa: Journey Towards Blak Futures, a body of work exploring the three themes of Blak Futurism, Cultural Revitalisation and Environmental Stewardship, all informed by her Yaluk-ut Weelam heritage.
"By engaging with my Elders and integrating their knowledge, the project will produce a major body of work that envisions alternative futures rooted in First Peoples perspectives," she said.
Blak Futurism involves creating artworks depicting futuristic scenarios where Indigenous culture and technology co-exist harmoniously, presenting a vision of the future that is both innovative and deeply rooted in tradition.
The Cultural Revitalisation theme will be explored through artworks incorporating traditional symbols, materials and techniques, reimagined in modern contexts to highlight their ongoing relevance and vitality while Environmental Stewardship artworks will emphasise sustainable practices and the Indigenous worldview of living in balance with nature.
Ms Steel will donate a significant piece from the Yawa series to the City of Port Phillip collection to deepen the representation of First Peoples art and culture. Yawa works will be exhibited in late 2025.
Mayor Louise Crawford said: "We're delighted to welcome Jarra Karalinar Steel as a Rupert Bunny Fellowship recipient. Her work is celebrated for its creativity and skilful inclusion of folklore from her cultural history. We can't wait for everyone to be able to enjoy and appreciate the Yawa exhibition created during her Fellowship."
In 1991, a fire swept through St Kilda Town Hall, destroying part of the building and its contents. A number of artworks were damaged including The Forerunners by Rupert Bunny. In the spirit of the contribution Rupert Bunny made to the visual arts, the insurance funds from this significant painting were used to establish the Rupert Bunny Foundation. The Rupert Bunny Foundation Visual Arts Fellowship followed in 2005.
