Taking place as part of Photo 2022, ‘Ugly/Beautiful’ is a solo exhibition of photographic work by mixed-media artist Mark Smith; it presents a space for beauty and ugliness to coalesce.

Exploring identity, difference and faith, the artwork aims to express feelings of joy, yet, the viewer’s experience is more confronting, with imagery depicting digital collages of body parts lurching outwards from a black background, prompting feelings of disconnectedness, discomfort and unease.

Working across painting, ceramics, mixed media, video and soft sculpture, Mark Smith’s primarily figurative works are concerned with how the physicality of the body relates to human nature and the human condition. He considers the body a non-negotiable starting point for existence, using the primitive vessel to explore the truly distinctive characteristics of being human.

Within this framework, Smith addresses the experiences and complexities of the individual and of humanity as a whole, as well as examines the language of subtle movement. Working from a feeling or emotion rather than a model or image, his artwork has an intrinsic quality that is imbued with a deep sense of character.

Mark Smith has worked in the Arts Project Australia studio since 2003. He held his first solo show Words Are…Jarmbi at Gallery Upstairs in 2014, as well as featuring in group shows nationally including Spring1883, Gertrude Glasshouse, The Substation and West Space. In 2014, he self-published Alive: an autobiographical reflection of his life and in 2020 he undertook an artist residency at the Australian Tapestry Workshop. Public collections include the Monash University Museum of Art and Moreland City Council. His work is also held in national and international private and corporate collections.

This exhibition has been generously supported by the Australian Decorative and Fine Arts Societies (ADFAS).

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

Circleworks uses the formal aesthetics of the hand-drawn or handmade circle as a departure point to explore artistic processes, perspectives, experiences and stories.

The exhibition features artworks by Arts Project Australia artists Fulli Andrinopoulos and Julian Martin, alongside works by Mimili-based artist Linda Puna and Louise Bourgeois.

Each artist has produced their artworks within specific contexts–culturally, geographically and materially–yet they connect through the formal repetition of their circle-like motifs.

This visual connection allows for the chance to closely consider the particularity of each artist’s visual sensibility.

Circleworks aims to celebrate these relations while acknowledging cultural differences.

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.

Curated by Sophia Cai, Sincerely Yours is a group exhibition across two neighbouring galleries at Collingwood Yards: Arts Project Australia and West Space.

The exhibition will bring together a wide range of contemporary artists, including Arts Project studio artists, exploring fandom theory and the different ways artists and audiences engage with objects or subjects that inspire fannish love and devotion.

Sincerely Yours brings together artists whose work speaks to the deep, earth-shattering passion for popular culture. We all have desires that keep us grounded, even when the world around us feels like it’s falling apart. Exhibiting artists include Alanna Dodd, Amy Meng, Ari Tampubolon, Carly Snoswell, Daniel Pace, Danny Lyons, Dylan Goh, Jenny Ngo, Mel Dixon, Miles Howard-Wilks, Nick Capaldo, and Raquel Caballero. Room sheets can be viewed here.

An exhibition zine is available to collect, it contains newly commissioned fan fiction texts by Natasha Hertanto, Jinghua Qian, Diego Ramirez and Sunanda Sachatrakul. The first 200 zines come with a limited edition risograph printed cover featuring work by Jenny Ngo.

Join Arts Project Australia and West Space to celebrate the closing weekend of Sincerely Yours. On Saturday 5 March 2022, join exhibition curator Sophia Cai and artists Danny Lyons and Dylan Goh for an artist talk at 2pm. Followed by writers Natasha Hertanto, Diego Ramirez and Jinghua Qian doing readings of their newly commissioned fan-fictions. Dance group AO crew will bring the K-pop moves at 3pm and the bar will be open.

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.

Arts Project Australia’s Annual Gala is a celebration of the achievement of our artists and acknowledges their unique contribution to contemporary art.

The 2021 Annual Gala will feature artworks by 150 Arts Project Australia and Satellite Arts artists.

Works available for sale will include drawing, sculpture, painting, printmaking and ceramics, with 60% of artwork sales going directly to the artists.

Public viewings will be held at our Collingwood Yards gallery Wednesday 8 – Sunday 12 December 2021 (11am-6pm Wed-Fri, 12-4pm Sat and 12-3pm Sun).

The Gala will culminate with all works available to purchase via a live online auction at 3pm AEST 12 December 2021. The live auction will be hosted by Leonard Joel and Invaluable.

To prepare for the gala:

Step 1) Ensure you register an Invaluable account prior to the event.
Step 2) Place your absentee bids or bid on multiple lots prior to the event via Leonard Joel.
Step 3) Place any live bids at the online auction commencing 3pm 12 December AEST.

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.

4 x 4 presents four artist solos featuring Monica Lazzari, Rebecca Scibilia, James MacSporran and Samraing Chea.

While holding distinctive practices, their work collectively reflects the versatility of colour, imagination, narrative and pattern to speak on the energies of society and nuances of everyday life.

Monica Lazzari creates complex abstract paintings and collage. The works are active spaces, resonating with energy; vibrant and multi-layered, she employs a vast colour palette with meticulous application of media.

Rebecca Scibilia is a mid-career painter who utilises a variety of media for her works on paper and canvas. Inspired by pop culture, she creates abstract artworks in bold markers and paints that result in a lurid colour palette.

James MacSporran is an emerging artist working primarily in painting and drawing. His art practice embodies a blend of abstraction and graffiti, and conjures references to mazes, street art and old-style arcade games.

Samraing Chea is an emerging artist whose practice contains humorous and startling social commentary, and his approach demonstrates an uncanny ability to extract the irony and idiosyncrasies of his subject.

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.

The tactile multi-dimensionality of this exhibition references personal worlds created in response to physical surroundings.

The artistic practices and works displayed testify to the movement between – and stark transition from – idea and concept to visceral threads and textiles to represent corporal curiosity, sexual politics, the home, possessions, consumerism, and the imaginary world.

Featuring Fulli Andrinopoulos, Dorothy Berry, Matthew Gove, Bronwyn Hack, Adrian Lazzaro, Anne Lynch, Mark Smith, Rosie O’Brien, Chris O’Brien, Lisa Reid, and Terry Williams.

Co-curated by Peter Douglas and Jodie Kipps.

Material World was opened with a performance featuring bodysuits created by APA artist, Bronwyn Hack. The performance was choreographed by Zoe Bastin and featured dancers Hayley Does and Joseph Newton-Keogh. View the performance below.

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.

As part of the UK/Australia Season of Culture 2021-22, a major program of cultural exchange is taking place across the two nations, including an in real life exhibition at APA’s Collingwood gallery, at Collingwood Yards.

The UK/Australia Season is a joint initiative by the British Council and the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The Season highlights the breadth of partnerships between Australia and the UK and aims to deepen and extend cultural connections. The Season commenced in September 2021, concluding in March 2022 in Australia and in December 2022 in the UK.

The theme ‘Who Are We Now?’ will reflect on our history, explore our current relationship, and imagine our future together. The Season will feature programming for all ages and will celebrate the diversity of cultures and languages in both countries. It will emphasise Australia’s First Nations voices, enable cultural exchange with Wales, Scotland, England and Northern Ireland, and the diverse societies that have emerged in both Australia and the UK through migration. Designed to strengthen and build cultural connections, the UK/Australia Season theme of “Who Are We Now?” will be reflected by Art et al. through how these artists felt during and now coming out of lockdown.

As part of the UK/Australia Season, Art et al. X 2021-22 is releasing a selection of virtual and in-person curatorial projects and opportunities. The series aims to further develop the practices of neurodivergent, intellectually and learning disabled artists in the UK and Australia.

Central to Art et al. X 2021-22 is the presentation of two international in-person exhibitions. The first will be in December 2021 in Melbourne, at Art Project Australia’s new gallery in the Collingwood Yards complex. In a four-day pop-up exhibition, audiences will experience international peer-to-peer artwork collaborations, as well as writing from Australian and International writers Jennifer Higgie, Kelly Gellatly and Tiarney Miekus.

Early in 2022, will be an exhibition in London in partnership with Cromwell Place. These curated neurodiverse exhibitions will include British and Australian artists featured on the Art et al. platform, with a focus on Peer/Peer Collaborations. Artists will include Emily Ferretti, Sandra Lott, David James, Alasdair McLuckie, Andrew Omoding, Thom Roberts, and Cherelle Sappleton.

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.

SPRING BACK: LITERALLY, TO RECOIL, REBOUND, OR LEAP BACK TO AN ORIGINAL POSITION OR LOCATION. Spring1883 is back – but different this year.

Emerging from Melbourne’s fifth lockdown and heeding the restrictions lingering behind, the seventh edition Spring steps out of one building to spread itself across Melbourne.

En route across the satellite booths, find Arts Project Australia presenting an immersive installation of five artists, the collection aptly titled Spring Back.

Where, if not the grand Windsor Hotel? In the spirit of the last eighteen-months’ proximity to home, APA sets up next door to the gallery at Collingwood Yards at the soon-to-be home of the ILBIJERRI Theatre Company.

Spring Back exhibits recent works by five artists pushing their practice and creating work with strong thematic depth.

Ruth Howard’s luscious collection of organic ceramic stacks alongside the verdant canvases and ceramics of Georgia Szmerling; multi-disciplinary artist Chris Mason’s immersive installation of paintings, ceramics and miniature sculptures of large women and snakes, contrasting with Mark Smith’sceramic and fabric words, then juxtaposed with Julian Martin’s sublime abstract pastel drawings.

After a year-long hiatus, the Arts Project gallery is moving from its Northcote location, which continues as a studio, to a freshly remodelled space at Collingwood Yards, a new arts precinct in Melbourne’s inner north.

The inaugural exhibition Where the Art Is ruminates on the year that was, while firmly looking forward to a new future and opens to visitors from Saturday 20 March until Saturday 1 May.

Where the Art Is showcases a collection of thought-provoking new work by ten artists: nostalgic ceramic sculptures by Alan Constable and Lisa Reid, a video installation by Chris O’Brien, COVID-19 lockdown drawings and paintings by Cathy Staughton, Adrian Lazzaro, and Samantha Ashdown, text-based work by Boris Cipusev and Mark Smith, archway paintings by Warren O’Brien, and iconic pastel drawings by Julian Martin.

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.

Until 2020, you’d encounter forty artists a day working away in the sun-filled Arts Project Australia studio. The gallery would present 14 solo and group exhibitions, feature 800+ artworks by 190+ studio and invited artists, and welcome 3,000+ artists, families, students, collectors, curators, volunteers and board members to celebrate at our openings.

In 2020, we presented two exhibitions in the gallery—Will Murray Solo and Pleased to Meet You—then, on the 16th of March, we all went home. But, as we approach the end of the year, Arts Project Australia artists, staff and board have not rolled over, stopped working, making or given up in the face of tough times. Arts Project Australia artists, staff and board have risen to the challenge.

The Arts Project Australia Virtual Gala is a celebration of the artists and their incredible work in 2020, as a continuation of the work they do every year, come hail or shine. It is also a celebration, albeit a virtual one, of our vibrant and creative community—our family—of artists, supporters and friends. Enjoy the 201 artworks and the experience of our Virtual Gala and, remember, 100% of every winning bid goes directly into the hands of Melbourne-based artists.

The Virtual Gala will feature special moments with APA artists, words from Arts Project director Sue Roff and entertainment from an exclusive line-up including Paul Kelly.

Want to party with food? The Recreation is providing a picnic hamper with a selection of cheeses, cold baked goods and wine to enjoy from home (pick up and delivery options available).

Alongside the live stream, 150 artists are presenting 200 artworks at a virtual exhibition and for sale at a silent auction hosted by Leonard Joel.

This year, 100% of sales will be paid to artists.

Both Virtual Gala auction and exhibition will launch from Friday 20 November and close Tuesday 1 December, giving plenty of time to browse and buy Arts Project Australia artworks before and after the Saturday 28 November live stream.

Register to receive the free live stream link, order your picnic hamper and receive updates on the Gala auction and exhibition.

Missed the Virtual Gala? You can still watch recorded livestream below!

Arts Project Australia extends thanks to supporters of the 2020 Virtual Gala.

The Virtual Gala launched on Friday 20 November with over 1000 visits to the virtual exhibition hosted on Arts Project’s website and many also crossing over to long-time supporter Leonard Joel for the silent auction.

On Saturday November 28, after a week of browsing and early bidding on the 201 artworks, over 600 supporters Arts Project Australia tuned in across YouTube, Facebook and Instagram for the Virtual Gala live stream.

From home, audiences enjoyed a delectable picnic hamper from the Recreation and watched the event to ponder, celebrate and laugh about the year of 2020 with entertainment from an enviable line-up of Melbourne-based performers including Paul Kelly, Claire Hooper and Moira Finnucine.

It wasn’t over yet – the enthusiasm continued online at the silent auction, which closed several days later on Tuesday 2 December with 86 lots sold (not including post-auction sales) and 100% of the $20,000 made in sales paid directly to successful artists.

The Virtual Gala was a heartfelt celebration of the artists and their incredible work over 2020. The success of the first iteration of the Gala- a long-lasting cornerstone of the Arts Project Australia program – in virtual format shows testament to the committed support and love for Arts Project artists and their work from a community of creative supporters far and wide.

With special thanks to Arts Project Australia artists, as well as their families, carers and support people; entertainers Paul Kelly, Claire Hooper, Moira Finnucine, Trent Walter, Mama Alto, Maude Davey, Paul Cordeiro, Piera Dennerstein, Jazida and Rachel Lewindon; producer Sian Darling and designer Liz Cox; John Albrecht and Leonard Joel team; Arts Project Australia executive director Sue Roff and staff Sim Luttin, Jo Salt, Sarah Wood, Danielle Hakim, Tahney Fosdike, Margaret McIntosh, Sandy Fernee, as well as studio, admin staff and volunteers; as well as the board and Exhibition Committee, with special note to Virginia Lovett, Mandy Hall, Denise Damianos, Damien Hodgkinson, Marie McCarthy and Melinda Martin.