Kelly Flanagan is a Wiradjuri woman, First Nations artist, writer, and lived-experience advocate whose work is shaped by survival, cultural strength, and a deep commitment to truth-telling, healing and connection.
With her lived experience of incarceration in the Victorian prison system, Kelly now uses her voice to advocate for women who remain imprisoned, silenced, and unseen. Kelly’s life experiences sit at the intersection of prison, family violence, homelessness, addiction and intergenerational trauma.
These realities exposed her to the systemic failures that disproportionately impact Aboriginal women and continue to shape their lives long after release. Rather than allowing these experiences to define her by harm alone, Kelly has reclaimed her narrative choosing to speak openly, create boldly, and challenge silence.
Her art explores identity, belonging, intergenerational resilience, and the quiet power found when women support one another. Kelly’s story sits at the centre of her practice, not as spectacle, but as testimony.
Kelly is currently writing her first book, drawing on lived experience to document the realities of imprisonment, survival, and life beyond the system. Through art, writing, and public speaking. She advocates for justice approaches grounded in dignity, cultural safety, accountability, and self-determination.
