Gillian Kayrooz is an artist based in Sydney; on unceded Gadigal and Dharug land, whose practice reflects her personal experience and ongoing engagement with local communities. Kayrooz’s work is collaborative; she invites members of the community to contribute authentic impressions, in a bottom-up rather than top-down conception of history and place. In 2018 she was awarded the Create NSW Young Creative Leaders Fellowship which led her to exhibit internationally in the Asia-Pacific region and complete residencies in both China and Japan. Her installation, video and photographic work has been shown extensively in solo and group exhibitions across Australia, including spaces such as Firstdraft, UTP, The Powerhouse Museum, Casula Powerhouse and Artspace. She was appointed Co-Director of Firstdraft from 2021-2023 and most recently concluded a summer solo exhibition at the Murray Art Museum in Albury titled ‘Five Ways to Say I’m Home’. Kayrooz is currently participating in ‘Counterflows’, a program commissioned by Artshouse (Melbourne) and Urban Theatre Projects (Sydney), that enabled her to undertake research and participate in the March Meeting program as part of the 2023 Sharjah Biennale in the UAE. She is also a finalist in the Create NSW x Artspace Visual Arts Emerging Fellowship for 2024.