There’s indie music, Spanish & Latin film festival, drum and dance workshops, and meet the author, to name a few, happening in and around Canberra in this week’s Artsweek column by arts editor HELEN MUSA.

New Zealand indie legends The Bats return to Canberra, still performing with their original line-up after 44 years and remaining one of the last surviving bands from the influential Flying Nun Records stable. They will be joined by younger support acts including Canberran expats dogworld and Sydney’s Tee Vee Repairmann. Polish White Eagle Club, Turner, June 9.

The 2026 Spanish & Latin American Film Festival will bring more than 30 films from Spain, Colombia, Argentina and beyond to Canberra screens this winter, offering a rich celebration of contemporary cinema from across the Spanish-speaking world. Palace Electric Cinemas, June 10-July 5.

Celebration of African Australians ACT is hosting a community event featuring drum and dance workshops designed to raise awareness of elder abuse and mistreatment, combining cultural expression with an important social message. Gungahlin Community Centre, June 6.

Professor Tessa Morris-Suzuki will discuss her latest book, Nature, War and the Art of the Detmold Twins: Orientalist Dreams, Modernity’s Nightmares. Asia Bookroom, Lawry Pl, Macquarie, June 6.

The documentary How to Build a Library follows two determined Nairobi women as they transform a former whites-only library into a thriving cultural centre while confronting political, financial and historical challenges along the way. National Library of Australia, June 6.

Anna Goldsworthy will join Andrew Leigh in conversation about her new Quarterly Essay, The God We Made: The Threat and Promise of Artificial Intelligence. Lowitja O’Donoghue Cultural Centre, ANU, June 10.

Galleries

• Feels Like End Times, But We’re Still Printing showcases the work of Five Ink’s Canberra printmakers. ANCA Gallery, June 5-28.
• Samantha Wortelhock’s exhibition Resurrection marks a return to oil painting after years of creating large-scale works exploring humanity’s impact on the natural world. Marion Walt Studio, The Commons, Pialligo, June-August.

Stage / Film

• The National Film and Sound Archive has launched its Winter Film Series with We Don’t Need A Map, Warwick Thornton’s challenging and poetic essay film that explores Australian identity through the symbolism of the Southern Cross. National Film and Sound Archive, June 4.
• Acting for the Fun of It presents Acting Shakespeare, offering participants the chance to explore and perform the works of the Bard in a supportive and engaging environment. For details contact course tutor Peter on 0408 034 373. June 8.

Concerts

• Ensemble Offspring unveils The Oracle, a showcase of contemporary music featuring Australian premieres by Tansy Davies, Christopher Cerrone and Kate Moore. The Street Theatre, June 5.
• French and Norwegian ensemble Dans les arbres brings its internationally acclaimed brand of improvisation-based performance to Canberra. Tuggeranong Arts Centre, June 5.
• Apeiron Baroque’s The Afternoon Hours promises a nostalgic winter afternoon, with music for traverso and baroque ensemble by Brentner, Sammartini, Pandolfi, Graupner, Vivaldi, Telemann and Boismortier. Wesley Music Centre, June 7.
• Harmonic Curves’ Resonance pairs acclaimed guitarist Timothy Kain with harpist Alice Giles in a varied program ranging from O’Carolan favourites to a Canberra premiere by Márian Budoš and Máximo Diego Pujol’s Suite Mágica. Wesley Music Centre, June 7.
• National Opera’s 2026 Master Class Weekend culminates in a concert showcasing emerging singers who have received intensive coaching from soprano and artistic director Sonia Anfiloff, accompanied by vocal coach and accompanist Dianna Nixon. The Street Theatre, June 8.
• The Wesley Lunchtime Concert series presents the premiere of The Elegy Project, a collaboration directed by Kimberley Steele with Christopher Pound and Rachael Thoms, traversing classical, jazz and folk traditions in a new musical venture. Wesley Music Centre, June 10.