Whispers in the Walls

There’s something in the stillness. A flicker at the corner of the eye. A presence just beyond the threshold, or perhaps only a creak in the floorboards, a murmur you can’t quite place.

Whispers in the Walls gathers artists whose work traverses the eerie, the surreal, and the quietly unsettling. Shadows stretch, forms blur, and liminal figures emerge—ghostly, grotesque, and at times absurd. Not always threatening, not entirely benign.

This is a space where beauty meets decay, and the unknown is felt more than seen. Whispers in the Walls invites you to linger in the in-between: the twilight zone between reality and dream, presence and absence, where things feel a little off, a little haunted, and never quite what they seem.

Curated by Aidan Sefo and Carolyn Hawkins.

The Northcote Project Space is located in Arts Project Australia’s studio foyer.

The studio is a two-story wheelchair accessible building.

The second story is accessible via lift or stairs.

Wheelchair accessible and gender-neutral toilets available on site.

The Northcote Project Space and studio can be a noisy place. Those with audio sensory sensitivities are recommended to bring ear protection.

Service animals and guide dogs welcome.

Social pets are unable to be inside the studio.

Cameron Gresswell: Sound and Image

Celebrating the life and work of APA artist Cameron Gresswell, this commemorative exhibition honours his bold, music-infused visual language – a body of work defined by expressive colour, rhythmic composition, and a deep personal connection to sound and collecting.

Gresswell worked primarily with acrylic and pastel on paper. His compositions often featured meandering lyrics, band names, and album titles, anchored by two brightly coloured vinyl records – a recurring motif in his work. These visual elements transformed his personal vinyl archive into a dynamic field of text, form, and colour. His spontaneous style captured the pulse and energy of music, creating a unique visual rhythm that reflected his dual passions for sound and image.

Gresswell is remembered within the APA community as a brilliant colourist and an avid music collector. His work reflects a profound sense of personal meaning, turning the act of collecting music into a rich visual practice. Held in private collections, his legacy lives on through the vibrancy and clarity of his artistic voice.

Cameron Gresswell’s contribution to the studio continues to resonate through the bold, expressive energy of his work and the deep creative presence he brought to the APA studio.

Please note this show is at the Northcote Project Space, located in Arts Project Australia’s studio in Northcote.

The Northcote Project Space is located in Arts Project Australia’s studio foyer.

The studio is a two-story wheelchair accessible building.

The second story is accessible via lift or stairs.

Wheelchair accessible and gender-neutral toilets available on site.

The Northcote Project Space and studio can be a noisy place. Those with audio sensory sensitivities are recommended to bring ear protection.

Service animals and guide dogs welcome.

Social pets are unable to be inside the studio.

Jordan Dymke – Who Am I?

Gertrude, in partnership with Arts Project Australia (APA), presents the pilot of a new exhibition initiative as part of a program designed to foster artistic exchange and creative development for practicing artists. APA is one of the world’s most dynamic organisations supporting neurodivergent artists and artists with intellectual disabilities through their studio and exhibition programs. Each year, an APA studio artist will be paired with a Gertrude Studio Program artist (current or alumni) to collaborate over a 12-month period. The partnership culminates in a solo exhibition at Gertrude Glasshouse, supporting artistic growth, opportunities for professional development, and deeper connections between creative communities.

For this first project in 2026, APA artist Jordan Dymke has partnered with recent Gertrude studio artist Francis Carmody to explore new modes of self-portraiture, personal narrative and identity through large-scale painting. Who am I? focuses on a commitment to using oneself as both the subject, and the subject of enquiry.

Jordan Dymke works primarily in figurative painting, drawing, and ceramics. His practice is grounded in self-reflection and introspection, using drawing from life and collected images to examine his own body as a site of identity, biography, and personal inquiry. The images are often pared back and partially rendered, creating works that hover between depiction and impression. His works have an elusive quality, echoing the shifting and unresolved nature of looking inward.

Dymke joined Arts Project Australia in 2012. He has featured in group exhibitions throughout Australia, including Symbiosis, presented through the Miegunyah Creative Fellowship at Buxton Contemporary, Naarm Melbourne; Das Boot at the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Naarm Melbourne; and Variations at Arts Project Australia, Collingwood Yards, Naarm Melbourne.

The collaboration between Gertrude and Arts Project Australia is supported by Michael Schwarz and David Clouston.

Gertrude Glasshouse is fully wheelchair accessible, however Glasshouse Road is an uneven bluestone street. Glasshouse Road can be accessed by car from Wellington Street and passengers can be dropped off at the door.

Ambulant toilet and baby change facilities available.

For further information, please call Gertrude Glasshouse on  (03) 9480 0068.

Houses, Spouses, Crises and Chrises

House, Spouses, Crises and Chrises is the 3D Real Estate fantasy of Arts Project Australia (APA) artist and co-curator Chris O’Brien. Starting with a floorplan, Chris narrates a tale, enlists assistance, and it appears before him. Real and imagined characters become cohabitants of the space. Long-time collaborator Joanna Anderson observes Chris, acting as an editor and illustrator of our auteur.

Set in and around an abandoned old house in Northcote, the show constructs a world both mundane and surreal: where furniture is stolen in slow motion, burnt beans bubble in the fireplace, and the roar of V8s echo through the TV on lazy afternoons. A red 1971 Fiat Autobianchi waits outside – engine sputtering, ready to go, but only making it halfway down the road before the petrol runs out.

Featuring: Adrian Lazzaro, Aidan Sefo, Alan Constable, Alessandra DiMattina, Boris Cipusev, Brigid Hanrahan, Bronwyn Hack, Chris Mason, Chris O’Brien, Christian Hansen, Christian Semertzidis, Daniel Pace, Daniel Richardson, Emily Dober, Fulli Andrinopoulos, George Aristovoulou, Jasmin Kolodziejczyk, Joanna Anderson, Josef Power, Julian Martin, Lisa Reid, Malcolm Sturrock, Margaret McIntosh, Matthew Gove, Michael Camakaris, Miles Howard-Wilks, Monica Lazzari, Paul Quick, Rakhi James, Rebecca Scibilia, Ruth Howard, Simon Paredes, Terry Williams, Thomas Iacono, Tim Noble, Valerio Ciccone, and Will McConnell.

Curated by Chris O’Brien, Caroline Wylds and Sarah Lamanna.

The Arts Project Australia gallery has accessible toilets in the Perry Street Building. They are in the northern end of the building. On the upper ground level, they are located off the northern side of the service corridor. On L1 and L2 they are located behind blue manual double doors.

Entry 30A Perry Street is wheelchair accessible and offers direct access to the Courtyard, Perry Street Building upper ground and Johnston Street Building upper ground.

Lift access is available to visit other buildings and levels.

If you have any additional questions or need further accommodations, please contact us on (03) 9482 4484 or at gallery@artsproject.org.au

View the exhibition from home

Available soon.

Annual Gala 2025

Arts Project Australia’s Annual Gala is our end-of-year celebration, honouring the achievements and diverse practices of every artist in our studio. This much-anticipated event is the only exhibition each year to showcase the full breadth of talent across our program with up to 200 works on display spanning painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, ceramics and textiles.

All artworks are available for purchase and can be taken home on the day. When the bell rings at 3pm, sales begin, first-come, first-served with buyers removing works directly from the gallery walls and plinths.

Join us on Saturday 13 December at our Collingwood Yards gallery for an afternoon of art, community and celebration. Preview 2:30 – 3pm. Sales commence when the bell rings at 3pm, sharp!

The Arts Project Australia gallery has accessible toilets in the Perry Street Building. They are in the northern end of the building. On the upper ground level, they are located off the northern side of the service corridor. On L1 and L2 they are located behind blue manual double doors.

Entry 30A Perry Street is wheelchair accessible and offers direct access to the Courtyard, Perry Street Building upper ground and Johnston Street Building upper ground.

Lift access is available to visit other buildings and levels.

If you have any additional questions or need further accommodations, please contact us on (03) 9482 4484 or at gallery@artsproject.org.au

View the exhibition from home

Stop Work

Stop Work contains artworks that act as proposals to remake the purpose, shape, and meaning of work in our collective experience.

In the last five years, our globalised society has experienced multiple transformations that have complicated our ways of exchanging labour for money. The COVID-19 pandemic rendered many in-person jobs untenable, prompting a wave of improvised adaptations to prop up business as usual. The rug-pull has continued into the era of artificial intelligence and robot labour, driving both economic and existential dread. With the concept of a ‘steady job’ now obsolete, it’s nearly impossible to predict what employment will look like in even two years’ time. This offers artists the perfect vantage point to ask: what was work?

The artists in this exhibition offer singular perspectives on the imploding norms of labour. They reflect on what work once was, what it is now, and what it might become – drawn from lived experiences that challenge conventional understandings of productivity. Artworks explore sabotage and monkey-wrenching, inefficiency and de-optimisation, and imagination as a defiant force against exploitation.

Featuring Michael Candy, Nicholas Capaldo, Samraing Chea, David Fitzpatrick, Martin Forster, Lychandra Gieseman, Pascale Giorgi, Cameron Gresswell, Christian Hansen, Rakhi James, Adrian Lazzaro, and Cathy Staughton.

Curated by Loren Kronemyer.

The Arts Project Australia gallery has accessible toilets in the Perry Street Building. They are in the northern end of the building. On the upper ground level, they are located off the northern side of the service corridor. On L1 and L2 they are located behind blue manual double doors.

Entry 30A Perry Street is wheelchair accessible and offers direct access to the Courtyard, Perry Street Building upper ground and Johnston Street Building upper ground.

Lift access is available to visit other buildings and levels.

If you have any additional questions or need further accommodations, please contact us on (03) 9482 4484 or at gallery@artsproject.org.au

View the exhibition from home

Embodied: Limitless 2025 Commission Series

Limitless is a landmark exhibition series that invites APA artists to undertake ambitious commissions on a significant scale. Launched with two inaugural bodies of work, the series establishes a framework for immersive, long-form creative development, building momentum toward new possibilities and opportunities. It affirms APA’s commitment to seeing neurodivergent artists and artists with intellectual disabilities central to the national and international arts landscape – visible, valued, and flourishing in their practice.

The initiative builds upon APA’s longstanding foundation – one that has consistently supported experimentation and artistic growth. It foregrounds risk-taking, collaboration, and innovation, and fosters both individual and collective development. In doing so, it offers artists the opportunity to expand their practice and explore new directions in their work.

As the first exhibition in the Limitless series, Embodied signals a focus on artistic rigour and experimental, process-driven practice. Featuring major new commissions by Mark Smith and Bronwyn Hack, the exhibition frames the body as both subject and metaphor, inviting expansive and deeply personal interpretations.

Curated by Jo Salt.

The Arts Project Australia gallery has accessible toilets in the Perry Street Building. They are in the northern end of the building. On the upper ground level, they are located off the northern side of the service corridor. On L1 and L2 they are located behind blue manual double doors.

Entry 30A Perry Street is wheelchair accessible and offers direct access to the Courtyard, Perry Street Building upper ground and Johnston Street Building upper ground.

Lift access is available to visit other buildings and levels.

If you have any additional questions or need further accommodations, please contact us on (03) 9482 4484 or at gallery@artsproject.org.au

View the exhibition from home

Landscape: A Different View

Landscape: A Different View invites you to explore the world through a range of artistic perspectives that reimagine our relationship with place. This group exhibition brings together a diverse collection of works by Arts Project Australia artists that blend the energy of urban life with the calm of rural settings, challenging traditional ideas of landscape. 

Each artist offers a unique lens, transforming familiar environments into compelling narratives. From structured cityscapes to organic natural forms, the works reflect the fluid, ever-changing nature of the world around us. 

Celebrating difference in vision, style, and experience, the exhibition reveals that landscapes are not fixed—they are shaped by how we see and feel them. 

 Together, these works form a shared vision: one that encourages us to look beyond the surface, embrace multiple viewpoints, and discover beauty in all environments. 

Curated by Paul Hodges, Suzanne Brown and James McDonald.

The Arts Project Australia gallery has accessible toilets in the Perry Street Building. They are in the northern end of the building. On the upper ground level, they are located off the northern side of the service corridor. On L1 and L2 they are located behind blue manual double doors.

Entry 30A Perry Street is wheelchair accessible and offers direct access to the Courtyard, Perry Street Building upper ground and Johnston Street Building upper ground.

Lift access is available to visit other buildings and levels.

If you have any additional questions or need further accommodations, please contact us on (03) 9482 4484 or at gallery@artsproject.org.au

View the exhibition from home

Figures from Life

Figures from Life brings together a collection of works created during Arts Project Australia’s in-house life drawing sessions. These sessions, offered without formal instruction, invite artists to engage freely with the human form – guided not by rules or tradition, but by instinct, imagination and personal vision.

The exhibition showcases the diversity of expression that arises when artists are empowered to follow their own paths. From Jenny Ngo’s expressive Fursona series, which blends identity and fantasy, to Peter Ben’s strikingly distorted figures that challenge conventional anatomy, each work offers a unique interpretation of what it means to see – and to represent – the human body.

Featuring works by Amani Tia, Chris Mason, Georgia Szmerling, Hugo Sierakowski, Jenny Ngo, Jordan Dymke, Josef Power, Lisa Reid, Mark Smith, Matthew Gove, Miles Howard-Wilks, Oscar Donati, Paul Hodges, Peter Ben, Rakhi James, Rebecca Scibilia, Samantha Ashdown, and Valerio Ciccone.

Curated by Oscar Donati and Ben Walsh.

Please note this show is at the Northcote Project Space, located in Arts Project Australia’s studio in Northcote, not the Collingwood Yards Gallery.

The Northcote Project Space is located in Arts Project Australia’s studio foyer.

The studio is a two-story wheelchair accessible building.

The second story is accessible via lift or stairs.

Wheelchair accessible and gender-neutral toilets available on site.

The Northcote Project Space and studio can be a noisy place. Those with audio sensory sensitivities are recommended to bring ear protection.

Service animals and guide dogs welcome.

Social pets are unable to be inside the studio.

The Fall of Icarus

The Fall of Icarus is an ambitious new solo exhibition by Michael Camakaris, exploring the cycles of power, collapse, and consequence. Drawing from cultural references such as Greek mythology, the poetry of Sylvia Plath, and Danny Boyle’s sci-fi thriller film Sunshine, this immersive, multi-disciplinary installation dissects the perils of excess and pride in the contemporary moment.

At its core is the myth of Icarus—a timeless warning against unchecked arrogance. In his reimagining, Camakaris transforms this allegory into a meditation on the rise and fall of empires, past and present. Through sound, light, video, and sculptural installation, The Fall of Icarus exposes the fragility of economic, environmental, and political systems, revealing the patterns of excess and decline that shape our world today.

Curated by Liz Nowell.

Please note this exhibition features the following:

Low lighting: Please note this exhibition uses low lighting, which may be challenging for visitors with low vision.

Sound components: The exhibition includes sound-based elements that may affect those with audio sensitivities. It is recommended to wear headphones if you wish to control the audio levels. Earmuffs are available for visitors should you require them.

Video components: This exhibition features projected video and LED lighting elements that may cause discomfort for individuals with visual sensitivities.

Visitor monitoring: To help ensure your safety and assist with any accessibility needs, there is a camera in the space. Please rest assured that you are not being recorded—this camera simply alerts gallery staff when visitors are present.

The Arts Project Australia gallery has accessible toilets in the Perry Street Building. They are in the northern end of the building. On the upper ground level, they are located off the northern side of the service corridor. On L1 and L2 they are located behind blue manual double doors.

Entry 30A Perry Street is wheelchair accessible and offers direct access to the Courtyard, Perry Street Building upper ground and Johnston Street Building upper ground.

Lift access is available to visit other buildings and levels.

If you have any additional questions or need further accommodations, please contact us on (03) 9482 4484 or at gallery@artsproject.org.au

View the exhibition from home

Biophilic Tendency

The artists hands are clearly visible in the ceramic pinch pots, plaques and sculptures which culminate in Biophilic Tendency. The pieces are at first glance abstracted, yet on closer inspection are united by their mimicry of natural and organic forms, including geological aggregates, coral organisms, seed pods, their resulting flora, and the landscapes in which these reside. Distilled into hand-built forms, each piece is rendered instinctively in clay then marked with intricate surface pattern. Richly layered glaze has been applied with intuitive and vivid use of colour, creating motifs that warp and shift into rhythmic decoration. Biophilic Tendency celebrates the innate human inclination to seek connections with nature and other living systems.

Ally DiMattina, Sal Felsinger, Sam Forster and Dave Mendelsohn are studio artists at Arts Project Australia (APA), an internationally leading visual arts organisation that champions neurodivergent artists and artists with intellectual disability. Through their studio program, exhibition opportunities, and professional development pathways, they empower Arts Project artists to develop their practice and meaningful careers in the contemporary art world.

Presented by Mailbox Art Space and Arts Project Australia this exhibition will open on Sunday 10 August from 4pm at Mailbox Art Space. All are welcome.

Curated by Shell Odgers.

Please note Mailbox Art Space is located in the foyer of a heritage listed building and is accessed via 8 stairs. Bathrooms are available in the Grand Hyatt across the road (entry via Russel Street). For more information please contact Mailbox Art Space at mailboxartspace@gmail.com

Organs

Arts Project Australia is pleased to share Organs, a solo show of artworks by Bronwyn Hack presented by Daine Singer, Melbourne.

Bronwyn Hack is a Naarm/ Melbourne-based artist, who has worked with Arts Project Australia since 2011. Hack’s practice is multi-faceted, spanning sculpture, painting, printmaking and ceramics. Throughout her career, Hack has consistently explored two main themes involving animals, as well as the body and bones. In Organs, Hack has elaborated on her representation of body parts in both sculpture and painting. Through textiles, Hack creates soft sculpture representations of body organs, preferencing the heart. The organs combine a highly unusual approach to self-portraiture, with a decorative celebration of what is normally unseen. She elaborately embellishes each work with brightly coloured threads, faux fur, beads, and sequins, adding a playful, tactile quality to the works.

Bronwyn Hack has held two solo exhibitions at APA in 2016 and 2020. Hack was an Artist in Residence at the Australian Tapestry Workshop in 2018 and her work has been exhibited there in 2019 and 2024. Other recent group exhibitions include at Tarrawarra Museum of Art, Melbourne Art Fair, Bendigo Art Gallery, Arts Project Australia, Linden New Art, The Substation, Australian Tapestry Workshop, Horsham Regional Gallery, Swan Hill Regional Art Gallery, Bathurst Regional Gallery, Logan Art Gallery, Deakin University Art Gallery, ANU School of Art & Design Gallery, Benalla Art Gallery, Bunjil Place Gallery, West Space and Craft Victoria.

The gallery spaces are wheelchair accessible except for the bathroom. Daine Singer advises that the closest wheelchair accessible bathroom is at Barkly Square. For additional information please contact Daine Singer at info@dainesinger.com

So Fresh

So Fresh is an exhibition celebrating the dynamic and diverse voices of new and emerging artists from the Arts Project Australia studio. Featuring a range of recent works, this exhibition highlights the unique perspectives and creative energy flourishing within the studio community.

So Fresh showcases the vibrant talent and innovative practices shaping the next generation of Arts Project Australia.

Featuring: Heide Beard, Max Cheevers, Tycho Dahlstrom, Jakob Demirel, Alessandra DiMattina, Sam Forster, Barbara Gibbs, Matthew Lam, David Mendelson, Mark Patterson, Darcy Scott, Molika Silk and Jade Tomsic.

Please note this show is at the Northcote Project Space, located in Arts Project Australia’s studio in Northcote, not the Collingwood Yards Gallery.

The Northcote Project Space is located in Arts Project Australia’s studio foyer.

The studio is a two-story wheelchair accessible building.

The second story is accessible via lift or stairs.

Wheelchair accessible and gender-neutral toilets available on site.

The Northcote Project Space and studio can be a noisy place. Those with audio sensory sensitivities are recommended to bring ear protection.

Service animals and guide dogs welcome.

Social pets are unable to be inside the studio.

In My Prime

Sullivan+Strumpf present In My Prime, featuring Arts Project Australia artists Julian Martin and Chris Mason. This exhibition features a curated selection of artworks from artists at an exciting moment in their careers. Chosen for their unique perspectives and diverse practices, the exhibition presents a range of mediums, styles, and subject matter – reflecting the dynamism of contemporary art.

While these artists may not yet be at the pinnacle of their careers, they are undeniably in a prime position—ready to be discovered, explored and celebrated. The title itself is a playful nod to the courage and vulnerability required to participate in the arts, and a reflection on the evolving nature of artistic careers. It’s a celebration of potential, progress, and the thrill of what’s to come.

Our intention is not just to showcase new works but to build meaningful relationships within Melbourne’s creative community — connecting artists, collectors, and enthusiasts alike. It’s about sparking new conversations, embracing potential, taking risks, and celebrating the journey.

In My Prime features work from Jess Cochrane, Emma Creasey, Nick Currie, Angus Gardiner, Naoise Halloran-Mackay, Julian Martin (APA), Chris Mason (APA) and Stefan Mau.

For wheelchair access, Sullivan+Strumpf provide a ramp and a roller door leading into the gallery space. The bathroom is fully accessible, equipped with handrails.

For additional information on accessibility please contact Sullivan+Strumpf on Phone: +61 3 7046 6489 or Email: art@sullivanstrumpf.com

TarraWarra Museum of Art presents Intimate Imaginaries.

This presentation is the first major exhibition surveying the work of APA artists in an Australian museum, highlighting 13 vital contemporary practices that have emerged from this self-described ‘boisterous hive of creativity’ over the past five decades.

The term ‘imaginaries’ is commonly used to describe realms of pure invention or flights of fancy, but it can also refer to more everyday creative activity: how we perceive, shape and make sense of ourselves and the world around us. This open-ended conception is one that accords with the ethos of APA where ‘art is not taught, but rather the innate creative direction of each artist is nurtured to elicit works of personal meaning and style’. In this spirit, Intimate Imaginaries brings together bodies of work by a range of artists who each express a compelling, richly inventive and deeply felt worldview.

By turns ingenious, irreverent, poignant and joyful, many featured works convey the artist’s personal perspectives on everyday environments, interactions and phenomena. From the autobiographical to the observational, the works of artists such as Lisa Reid, Anthony Romagnano, Cathy Staughton and Terry Williams, reveal the multiple ways in which we can be intimately and imaginatively entangled with each other and with places and things in the world. Other artists, such as Fulli Andrinopoulos, Wendy Dawson and Julian Martin employ abstract shapes, vivid colour and highly tactile forms of mark-making to evoke emotive, intangible and interior states of being. While the exhibiting artists utilise a range of media and processes in their works—including painting, drawing, ceramics, soft sculpture and video—they all share a distinctive handmade aesthetic.

Bringing together early and recent works alongside several new commissions, Intimate Imaginaries includes: Samraing Chea’s highly detailed drawings that depict humorous observations and wry social commentary on daily life; Alan Constable’s hand-modelled, wet-finish colour glazed ceramic cameras; Bronwyn Hack’s carefully crafted fabric models of human anatomy; Julian Martin’s refined abstract pastel compositions distilled from found imagery; Chris O’Brien’s sculptures, videos and zines which convey mischievous personal narratives on suburban life; Lisa Reid’s meticulous and lovingly-rendered ceramics and works on paper evoking familial memories; Cathy Staughton’s colourful paintings of Luna Park that interweave autobiography and fantastical dream imagery; and Terry Williams’s hand-stitched, improvisational renditions of everyday objects.

Curated by Anthony Fitzpatrick, Intimate Imaginaries is presented by TarraWarra Museum of Art in partnership with Arts Project Australia.

Visitors requiring wheelchair or mobility walker access are advised to call ahead so that the they can provide further information about access to the Museum. TarraWarra Museum of Art welcomes guests of all abilities and is committed to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for visitors with specific access requirements.

The Museum and gallery spaces are fully accessible, and wheelchair-accessible car parks and toilet facilities are available on site.  Self-propelled wheelchairs are available for complimentary hire by contacting the Museum on 03 5957 3100 or museum@twma.com.au.   

Metropolis

The future city—a speculative urban metropolis shaped by science and technology—was a widely explored theme during the twentieth century. However, very few of these megacities ever came to fruition, and even fewer of those realised models were successful. Although certain elements of the metropolis have actualised and continue into the current day. Looking back upon the concept of the future city, there are numerous disconnects between what was proposed and what came to be.

The works in Metropolis respond to the fantasy modernist city as a multifaceted site upon which various narratives and emotions have been projected, while also exploring the relationship of those models to the present.

Featuring
Michael Camakaris
Samraing Chea
Diena Georgetti, courtesy of  the artist and Neon Parc, Melbourne
Jordan Halsall
Matthew Harris, courtesy of the artist and FUTURES, Melbourne
Lei Lei Kung
Sammi-Jo Matta
Steven Perrette
Gavin Porter
Cathy Staughton
Darren Sylvester, courtesy of the artist and Neon Parc, Melbourne
Mia Boe, courtesy of the artist Sutton Gallery, Melbourne
Terry Williams

Curated by Amelia Winata.

The Arts Project Australia gallery has accessible toilets in the Perry Street Building. They are located in the northern end of the building. On the upper ground level they are located off the northern side of the service corridor. On L1 and L2 they are located behind blue manual double doors.

Entry 30A Perry Street is wheelchair accessible and offers direct access to the Courtyard, Perry Street Building upper ground and Johnston Street Building upper ground.

Lift access is available to visit other buildings and levels.

View the exhibition from home

Devoted To You

Devoted to You celebrates the musical icons that have captured the imaginations of artists at Arts Project Australia.

Music has always been a vital part of the studio, with artists driving the studio’s playlist with special requests and well-loved tunes spanning all genres and decades. From record obsessives to dedicated superfans, impersonators and everything in between, Devoted To You explores the devout and passionate world of music fandom in all its feverish glory.

Featuring APA artists Adrian Lazzaro, Alan Constable, Amani Tia, Andrew Nicholaides, Anthony Romagnano, Bronwyn Hack, Cameron Gresswell, Cathy Staughton, Christian Semertzidis, Danny Lyons, Dionne Canzano, James Dawes, Lee Dight, Lisa Reid, Martin Forster, Nick Capaldo, Paul Quick, Peter Ben, Rakhi James, Ruth Howard, Sammi-Jo Matta, Steven Ajzenberg, Steven Perette, Timothy Noble, Tycho Dahlstrom, Valerio Ciccone and William Murray. 

Curated by James Dawes, Carolyn Hawkins and Danielle Hakim.

The Arts Project Australia gallery has accessible toilets in the Perry Street Building. They are located in the northern end of the building. On the upper ground level they are located off the northern side of the service corridor. On L1 and L2 they are located behind blue manual double doors.

Entry 30A Perry Street is wheelchair accessible and offers direct access to the Courtyard, Perry Street Building upper ground and Johnston Street Building upper ground.

Lift access is available to visit other buildings and levels.

View the exhibition from home

Japan Photo Book is a series of five works by Arts Project Australia artist Rebecca Scibilia drawing on memories of her time in Japan.

Scibilia employs a variety of media in her practise, focusing primarily on felt-tip and paint pens. Finding inspiration in personal experiences and popular culture, she conveys personal or collective memories through abstract forms, often weaving visual references, motifs and text into the imagery. In Japan Photo Book, each piece captures a moment in time, inspired by photographs taken throughout the trip. Characterised by assured patternmaking, the works are at once reflective and electric.

Scibilia has been an artist at the Arts Project Australia studio since 1999. Founded in 1974, Arts Project Australia is a gallery and supported studio that represents artists with intellectual disabilities, promotes their work, and advocates for their inclusion in contemporary art practice. For 50 years, APA has been recognised and celebrated for the quality of the work produced by the artists in the studio, which is exhibited in the APA gallery and around the world and represented in multiple public and private collections.

For step-free access, follow the footpath from The Substation along Market St to Newport train station, approximately 340 metres.

2024 Annual Gala Celebration

In this special 50th anniversary Gala Exhibition, the achievements of APA studio and online artists are celebrated, highlighting their unique contributions to contemporary art. Over 200 artworks, including paintings, photography, drawings, printmaking, ceramics, and textiles, will be on display and available for purchase. Collectors have the opportunity to purchase artwork at the opening event and take it home the same night.

This year the event will span across Collingwood Yards, with an additional exhibit onsite showcasing APA’s video archive, and a series of portraits of APA artists by Penelope Hunt. APA’s new 50th anniversary publication and merchandise will also be available.

The Arts Project Australia gallery has accessible toilets in the Perry Street Building. They are located in the northern end of the building. On the upper ground level they are located off the northern side of the service corridor. On L1 and L2 they are located behind blue manual double doors.

Entry 30A Perry Street is wheelchair accessible and offers direct access to the Courtyard, Perry Street Building upper ground and Johnston Street Building upper ground.

Lift access is available to visit other buildings and levels.

Visit the Annual Gala from home

Arts Project Australia 2024 Miegunyah Creative Fellowship

Symbiosis is the culmination of the 2024 Miegunyah Creative Fellowship with Arts Project Australia. Artist group, The Northcote Penguins, were invited to investigate and respond to decorative arts, furniture and personal items in the Grimwade Collection, which was bequeathed to the University of Melbourne by Sir Russell and Mab Grimwade in 1949.

Visiting the Collection in storage, the artists selected one or more objects that sparked their interest and, through their personal practice and Art Project Australia’s Professional Practice Program, each researched and developed their own creative outcomes.

Mark Smith collaborated with glass blower Ruth Allen to reimagine Grimwade glassware, while Christian Hansen’s bronze sculpture was inspired by a small porcelain ‘fairing’. Jordan Dymke’s self-portrait utilises mirrors from the Grimwade house Miegunyah, and Amani Tia was inspired by photographs taken by Russell Grimwade. Objects from the Collection are incorporated into an infomercial by Aidan Sefo and in collages and digital prints by Monica Lazzari and Sam Ashdown. Michael Camakaris drew inspiration from a ‘puzzle jug’ to produce a group of humorous and satirical ceramic vessels. These imaginative responses are displayed alongside the art and objects that inspired them.

Curated by Alisa Bunbury (Museums and Collections), Coordinated by Carly Richardson (Museums and Collections) and Tom Pendergast (Arts Project Australia).

Hear from exhibiting artists on their process and preparation for symbiosis.

Filming: Maree Prokos and Bernard Winter
Editing: Maree Prokos
Music: James Paul
(Museums and Collections, University of Melbourne)

Buxton Contemporary is fully wheelchair accessible.

Download the Ground Level Access Map and Level One Access Map for detailed information about access throughout the building.

Social scripts, large format wall labels and sensory maps are available to download on current exhibition pages.

Access is an open conversation. Buxton Contemporary welcome all feedback about their available resources at buxton-contemporary@unimelb.edu.au or on 03 9035 9339.

Visit the exhibition from home

For many neurodivergent artists, merely partaking in the contemporary art world is a bold and courageous act.

Held to coincide with APA’s 50th anniversary celebrations, BOLD highlights artists who are unapologetically themselves, and whose instinctive practices manifest in powerful and confident work. Subjects are distilled to their very essence, resulting in pure unadorned form.

Mirroring the fun, colour and joyful nature of the APA studio, BOLD features work by APA artists Adrian Lazzaro, Anna Dehm, Anthony Romagnano, Ian Gold, Jacob Cartelli, John Bates, Julian Martin, Michael Trasancos, Patrick Francis and Ruth Howard.

Bold is curated by Shell Odgers.

The Arts Project Australia gallery has accessible toilets in the Perry Street Building. They are located in the northern end of the building. On the upper ground level they are located off the northern side of the service corridor. On L1 and L2 they are located behind blue manual double doors.

Entry 30A Perry Street is wheelchair accessible and offers direct access to the Courtyard, Perry Street Building upper ground and Johnston Street Building upper ground.

Lift access is available to visit other buildings and levels.

View the exhibition from home

50 Birds celebrates the joint 50th anniversary of two iconic organisations: Arts Project Australia and Arts Access Victoria.

Commemorating a combined total of 100 years of advocacy in the arts, this exhibition brings together 14 artists from APA and AAV who are inspired by the beauty and brilliance of birds.

Exploring a variety of mediums including ceramics, sculpture, painting, drawing, embroidery and textiles, 50 Birds features APA artists Rosie O’Brien, Miles Howard- Wilks, Simon Paredes, Robert Brown, Anne Lynch, Barbara Gibbs, Dorothy Berry and Alan Constable alongside Arts Access Victoria’s artists Lisa Pownall, Kristy Sweeney, Heather White, Leeann Preddy, Diana Kagadis and Fiona Taylor.

Curated by Rosie O’Brien and Pegs Marlow.

The Arts Project Australia gallery has accessible toilets in the Perry Street Building. They are located in the northern end of the building. On the upper ground level they are located off the northern side of the service corridor. On L1 and L2 they are located behind blue manual double doors.

Entry 30A Perry Street is wheelchair accessible and offers direct access to the Courtyard, Perry Street Building upper ground and Johnston Street Building upper ground.

Lift access is available to visit other buildings and levels.

View the exhibition from home

As part of Arts Project Australia’s (APA) annual creative program, prominent curators are invited to create an exhibition that places APA artists alongside their peers; leading national and international contemporary artists.  

This initiative seeks to make broader connections with curators, artists, galleries, and museums, making visible the calibre of the work produced by APA artists, and exemplifying their place within the contemporary art landscape. Since its inception, the initiative has resulted in a long list of remarkable exhibitions that have served to generate new partnerships and develop and strengthen relationships. 

Bendable Realities pays tribute to this initiative in APA’s 50th year. Past curators have been invited to select artworks by both APA artists and external artists, creating a dialogue between them. This exhibition celebrates the power of collaboration and meaningful connections, highlighting the gradual reimagining of the art world as a more open, adaptive, and inclusive space for diverse perspectives, experiences, and identities. 

Featuring Tiger Yaltangki, Terry Williams, Roger Walker, Julian Martin, Jan Lucas, Rebecca Scibilia, Clare Milledge, Adrian Lazzaro, Katherine Botten and Bronwyn Hack.

Bendable Realities is co-curated by Jo Salt in collaboration with Vince Alessi, Alex Baker, Geoff Newton, Charlotte Day and Patrice Sharkey.

The Arts Project Australia gallery has accessible toilets in the Perry Street Building. They are located in the northern end of the building. On the upper ground level they are located off the northern side of the service corridor. On L1 and L2 they are located behind blue manual double doors.

Entry 30A Perry Street is wheelchair accessible and offers direct access to the Courtyard, Perry Street Building upper ground and Johnston Street Building upper ground.

Lift access is available to visit other buildings and levels.

Visit the exhibition from home

Strange Planet invites you to move towards the creatures from whom you usually recoil; to examine their glittering intricacies, behold their hairy thoraxes, to bat your eyelids at their slithery scales and razor-sharp fangs.

Find solace in the uncanny beauty of these inhabitants for within their otherworldly forms a symphony of colours, textures, and shapes awaits.

Meet us beneath the thicket in the depths of this Strange Planet.

This exhibition features Anna Dehm, Anne Lynch, Bronwyn Hack, Chris Mason, Dorothy Berry, Dionne Canzano, Eden Menta, Julian Martin, Katherine Foster, Lygin Ang, Matthew Gove, Miles Howard-Wilks, Michael Camakaris, Michael Trasancos, Nhan Nguyen, Patrick Francis, Ruth Howard, Samraing Chea, Shoshanna Brott, Terry Williams and Valerio Ciccone.

Strange Planet is curated by Miles Howard-Wilks, Sandy Fernée and Sarah Lamanna.

The Arts Project Australia gallery has accessible toilets in the Perry Street Building. They are located in the northern end of the building. On the upper ground level they are located off the northern side of the service corridor. On L1 and L2 they are located behind blue manual double doors.

Entry 30A Perry Street is wheelchair accessible and offers direct access to the Courtyard, Perry Street Building upper ground and Johnston Street Building upper ground.

Lift access is available to visit other buildings and levels.

View the exhibition from home

Soft Landings celebrates the collaborative partnership between the Australian Tapestry Workshop and Arts Project Australia.

Textiles surround us, comfort us, allow us expression of identity. As Kassia St Clair states in her book The Golden Thread “We live surrounded by cloth. We are swaddled in it at birth and shrouds are drawn over our faces in death. We sleep enclosed by layer upon layer of it…and, when we wake, we clothe ourselves in yet more of it to face the world and let it know who we shall be that day.”

Often delegated to the realm of ‘craft’, textiles can be an underappreciated and overlooked artform. The artists of Soft Landings, however, evident the extensive capacity of textiles – using the medium as a raw expression and interpretation of the world, confirming textiles’ place in contemporary art. Subjects such as body, home, identity, desire, and more are explored through embroidery, 2D mixed media textiles, and soft sculpture.

Featuring the works of Fulli Andrinopoulos, Matthew Gove, Bronwyn Hack, Paul Hodges, Adrian Lazzaro, Anne Lynch, Joanne Nethercote, Chris O’Brien, Rosie O’Brien, Lisa Reid, Mark Smith, and Terry Williams.

Curated by Betty Musgrove.

For more information on accessibility at Australian Tapestry Workshop please phone 03 9699 7885