Rats & Barbells

Join Arts Project Australia (APA) soft sculpture specialists Terry Williams and Chris O’Brien to stitch and stuff a fluffy rodent or a silky light weight barbell, with support from artist and long-time O’Brien collaborator, Joanna Anderson.

This workshop takes place within the exhibition Houses, Spouses, Crises & Chrises, curated by Chris O’Brien, Sarah Lamanna, and Caroline Wylds. The curators will be present to discuss the history and conception of the show while we sew.

Chris O’Brien’s diverse artistic practice spans painting, printmaking, sculpture, moving image, and zines. His work often focuses on domestic dwellings, anthropomorphising buildings and introducing characters to bring them to life. Enriched with personal connections, each piece carries a narrative depth. Renowned for his soft sculptures, O’Brien crafts vibrant sewn and stuffed fabric representations of houses and iconic buildings. Through this practice, he reimagines these spaces, transforming them from functional structures into playful, imaginative sculptures imbued with deeper meaning. O’Brien has worked with Arts Project Australia since 2002. His work is held in public collections, including the National Gallery of Victoria, the State Library of Victoria and private collections worldwide.

Terry Williams is an established artist with a practice spanning over three decades. Primarily focusing on soft sculpture, his work is known for its use of tactile, pillow-like forms, constructed with bold, exaggerated stitching. Williams often draws on themes of space, flight, and everyday objects, depicting helmets, astronauts, rockets, wheels and bikes. His sculptures blend real and imagined elements, resulting in works that have a distinctive physical presence. The emphasis on materiality is central to his practice—fabrics are stitched, stuffed and layered to create forms that are both expressive and raw, highlighting the artist’s direct and hands-on engagement with each piece. Williams has worked with Arts Project Australia since 1989. His work is held in significant collections both in Australia and internationally, including the Museum of Everything, London; the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne; the Wangaratta Art Gallery, Victoria and numerous private collections.

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.