Curators
Miah Madden
Miah Madden is a Bundjalung Art Curator and Actor whose practice spans over 16 years across film and television. Her work is grounded in a commitment to amplifying Indigenous voices and fostering meaningful engagement with cultural knowledge systems through both curatorial and creative practice.
Miah is the Curator and Creative Producer with the National Indigenous Art Fair, a position she has held for the past three years. Her curatorial approach prioritises collaboration with artists and art centres across Australia, supporting the presentation of works that embody ancestral knowledge, cultural continuity, and community-led storytelling. In 2024, she curated the acclaimed Living Room exhibition, followed by Vessels (2024) and Threads (2025) at the Australian Design Centre, developed in partnership with the National Indigenous Art Fair. Most recently, she curated Echoes Tracing Northward at China Heights. She is currently developing an upcoming exhibition with the National Indigenous Art Fair that will present significant works from participating art centres nationwide.
In parallel with her curatorial practice, Miah is undertaking a Bachelor of Laws at the University of Technology Sydney, reflecting her broader passion in advocacy and the intersection of law, culture, and representation.
Miah’s acting career commenced with her role in The Sapphires (2012), and has since expanded to include a substantial body of work across film and television. Her credits include The Gods of Wheat Street, Redfern Now, The Moodys, Australia Day, The Unlisted, Dive Club, Bali 2002, The Clearing, Troppo, and Paper Dolls. She has also contributed extensively to children’s media, including her voice role in Little J & Big Cuz and her ongoing work as a presenter on Play School. Her forthcoming screen projects include Black Prince, He Had It Coming, My Brilliant Career, and Return to Paradise (Season 2).
Kaleena Briggs
Kaleena Smith is a Wiradjuri/Yorta Yorta woman, musician, and First Nations Development Manager at MusicNSW. With close to 30 years’ experience, including her long-standing career with Stiff Gins, she brings industry insights to supporting First Nations creatives. Her work centres on connecting artists with opportunities, resources, and networks to help build sustainable careers. Guided by cultural authority, Kaleena is dedicated to strengthening pathways, fostering mentorship, and amplifying First Nations voices across the music industry both locally and nationally.
Billie-Jean Hamlet
Rebecca Ray
Matt Poll
Billie-Jean Hamlet is a Walmajarri and Yamatji model from the Kimberley region of Western Australia. She spent her formative years growing up in the remote community of Kurnangki near Fitzroy Crossing before later moving to Perth with her family for education.
Beginning in modelling development at 16 in Perth, Billie-Jean went on to pursue modelling professionally after relocating to Sydney at 19. Represented by IMG Models, she has since become one of Australia’s leading fashion models, spending three years modelling in New York and holding contracts across major fashion capitals including Milan, London and New York.
Through her work across Australia and internationally, Billie-Jean has contributed to the growing presence and visibility of First Nations talent within the fashion industry.
Her career has seen her appear in the pages of Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Marie Claire and RUSSH, front nearly 20 campaigns for Country Road, and serve as a global ambassador for Seafolly Swimwear.
Alongside her modelling career, Billie-Jean is passionate about creating pathways between fashion, community and sustainability. Through her work with Thread Together, she is committed to redirecting excess within the fashion industry back into communities in meaningful and dignified ways, while advocating for greater accessibility, representation and environmental responsibility within fashion.
Her curatorial approach for the National Indigenous Art Fair is grounded in celebrating Kimberley talent, storytelling, and the power of fashion as cultural expression and connection.
Rebecca Ray is a Meriam woman descended from the Zenadth Kes/Torres Strait Islands and is an experienced curator and writer. Currently, she is Curator, First Nations Art at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Her practice is concerned with the re-Indigenisation, rematriation and the reclamation of autonomous and sovereign spaces, with an interest in global First Nations relationality and solidarity that inform curatorial and research methodologies. Ray holds a Bachelor of Arts (History and Sociology) from Griffith University, Queensland and has a research background in decolonisation, identity politics and intersectionality.
Ray has held First Nations curatorial and research positions at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, National Portrait Gallery Canberra, Home of the Arts (HOTA) Gold Coast and the Indigenous Higher Research Unit at Griffith University. She is an alumnus of the National Gallery of Australia’s prestigious Wesfarmers Indigenous Arts Leadership program and currently holds the position of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Director on the National Association of Visual Arts (NAVA) Board.
Matt Poll works as the Manager of Indigenous Programs at the Australian National Maritime Museum. Matts curatorial and publications work is centred on prioritising contemporary First Nations voice across collections and exhibitions development. Matt is also currently a member of the Reimagining the British Museum working group representing Oceania, the Sydney Opera House conservation council and for many years worked as the University of Sydney Repatriation project officer assisting in the return to country of ancestors.