Bria McCarthy creates art for theatre, literature, film and education, specialising in experimental shadow puppetry. She created the ‘Shadow House’, a textile sculpture shown at the Art Gallery of NSW and the National Museum of Australia. She was the recipient of the 2024 Wear it Purple Foundation Grant with her new puppet show in development and her solo show ‘Dragon Hearts’ won the 2023 Sydney Fringe Award for Best Emerging Artist. She was the 2022 ACE Indigenous Artist Resident, and her debut manuscript was shortlisted for the 2022 Text Prize. She is an autistic artist with Wiradjuri and Irish heritage. Her work is characterised by an emphasis on multispecies storytelling, neurodivergent imagination, and it is always a little magical.