Knitted String Dilly Bag

Cynthia Hardie is a proud Yorta Yorta Elder, born and raised in Mooroopna, where her love for art began in childhood. A self-taught and deeply intuitive artist, Cynthia has spent decades creating works that now fill her home – what she affectionately says is “almost full to the rafters.” Her practice spans painting, ceramics, and mixed media, adorning everything from canvas and emu eggs to papier-mâché bowls, clap sticks, boomerangs, and river stones—often all at once.

Cynthia has been a long-standing artist at Kaiela Arts, where she continues to create and share her skills, stories, and cultural knowledge. “I love painting with my granddaughters,” she says, “teaching them what I know, sharing my paints and stories.” Her work embodies a strong commitment to intergenerational learning, cultural connection, and joy through making.

Her art has been featured in numerous exhibitions and collected by major institutions including Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) and Melbourne Museum. She received the 2016 Indigenous Ceramic Award with Jack Anselmi for Midden, and in 2020 collaborated with Japanese artist Naomi Ota on Vessels of Life for Collisions at SAM. Cynthia’s work was also featured in We Are Eagles as part of the 2025 TarraWarra Biennial, affirming her ongoing role as a vital cultural voice and creative force on Yorta Yorta Country.