Art Wank

Kirtika Kain is an Australian artist of Dalit heritage whose work explores identity, culture, migration, memory and belonging. Through her art and conversations, she brings personal and collective stories into the spotlight, creating space for voices and experiences that are often overlooked. Her work reflects the complexities of being Dalit, Australian and part of a diverse global community, while celebrating resilience, creativity and the power of storytelling. Kirtika Kain was born in New Delhi, India and now works on Darug Country, Sydney. Considerations of caste and identity underpin her materially driven practice, which seeks to reimagine personal and collective narratives. Kain’s work has been exhibited widely, both locally and internationally, with notable exhibitions including Adelaide Biennale, 2026; Kochi-Muziris Biennale, 2025; the 24th Biennale of Sydney, 2024; and the 13th Bamako Encounters at the African Biennale of Photography, Mali, 2022. Kirtika is represented by Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery in Sydney Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gary Deirmendjian is a Sydney-based contemporary artist whose multidisciplinary practice encompasses sculpture, installation, photography, video, and site-specific intervention. Working predominantly in public and shared spaces, he is recognised for creating thought-provoking works that challenge audiences through scale, immersion, and unexpected encounters. His projects often explore the social, political, and environmental conditions that shape everyday life, encouraging viewers to re-examine familiar surroundings with fresh eyes. Deirmendjian has exhibited extensively throughout Australia and internationally, receiving numerous commissions for public artworks, temporary installations, and moving-image projects. Career highlights include presence (2017), a major moving-image commission for Sydney's Wynyard Station, and pulse (2020), commissioned for Federation Square in Melbourne. He was awarded the British School at Rome Residency in 2017 and is the author of the monograph A Prevailing Sense of Disquiet as well as Common Ground , a collection of observations and images drawn from his long-running social media art practice. He holds a Master of Fine Arts in Sculpture from the National Art School, where he has taught since 2012. This week on Art Wank, we sit down with acclaimed Sydney artist Gary Deirmendjian, whose expansive practice spans sculpture, installation, photography, video, and public intervention. Known for transforming ordinary moments into extraordinary encounters, Gary has built a career around paying close attention to the world around him and inviting others to do the same. His projects challenge audiences to slow down, look again, and find meaning in the overlooked details of everyday life. In this episode, Gary discusses his relationship with the urban environment, sharing how the streets, public spaces, and chance observations that make up daily life continue to inspire his work. We explore the idea of curiosity as an artistic tool and the ways in which public art can interrupt routine experiences, creating moments of reflection, wonder, humour, and sometimes discomfort. Throughout the discussion, Gary reflects on the importance of observation, experimentation, and remaining responsive to the complexities of contemporary life. Thoughtful, insightful, and deeply engaged with the world around him, he offers a compelling perspective on what it means to be an artist working within public space today. Gary is now represented by LNL Gallery in Sydney. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Art Wank , we speak with Katrina Cashman, Gallery Manager and Senior Curator at the National Art School, about the exhibition currently on display at the NAS Gallery, Margaret Olley: Australian Intimiste . ' Margaret Olley: Australian Intimiste celebrates the legacy and significant achievements of Margaret Olley AC – National Art School alum and one of Australia’s most beloved painters – through the lens of the European artistic tradition intimisme , which honours the quiet poetry of domestic life and the interior world. Drawing from significant public and private collections, Margaret Olley: Australian Intimiste traces Olley’s preoccupations from early interiors to her later richly textured compositions featuring floral arrangements, antiques, and domestic objects. Each painting is more than a still life – it is a portrait, a sensory memory, and a trace of the artist’s personal world, animated by beauty. Curated by NAS Gallery Manager and Senior Curator Katrina Cashman curator in consultation with author and curator Christine France OAM, the exhibition explores Olley’s oeuvre as it relates to place and relationships. Rather than maintaining a separate painting studio, she worked primarily in her own home and those of family and friends. While she occasionally painted landscapes, portraits, and sketched outdoors – particularly while travelling – her principal subjects were interior spaces, window views, and intimate tabletop arrangements, capturing the resonance of light, memory, and everyday experience. Though working within intimiste traditions of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Olley led an unconventional life, rejecting traditional domestic roles. Her work was never static, echoing the rhythms of a personal world in flux – shaped by the seasons, light, and her enduring dialogue with art history. Australian Intimiste celebrates Olley’s remarkable six-decade career since graduating from the National Art School and honours the formative relationships and creative communities that sustained her practice. The exhibition includes more than sixty artworks by Margaret Olley AC and a selection of works by her National Art School friends, teachers and peers including Jean Bellette, Margaret Cilento, Douglas Dundas, Russell Drysdale, Frank Medworth, David Strachan and Tony Tuckson among others. It also includes Sir William Dobell’s famous 1948 Archibald Prize winning portrait of Margaret Olley that caused such a sensation in the day. A substantial publication accompanies the exhibition, including essays by Katrina Cashman, Dr Georgina Cole, Christine France OAM, Dr Emily Gray and Dr Michael Hill. Publication supported by The Gordon Darling Foundation. Project supported by NAS Gallery Ambassadors.' The exhibition runs unti October 24th at the National Art School, Forbes St, Darlinghurst, Sydney. 11-5pm Monday to Saturday Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Artwank , we talk with Australian artist Peter Stevens about his practice, career, and connection to landscape. Stevens has worked as a professional artist for more than 30 years, building a body of work that spans painting, printmaking, and mixed media. His work is represented by Defiance Gallery in Sydney and is held in both public and private collections. Peter studied at Sydney College of the Arts, completing a Bachelor of Visual Arts before undertaking postgraduate studies in printmaking. Over his career he has been a finalist in major Australian art prizes including the Paddington Art Prize and the Mosman Art Prize, and has been selected multiple times for the Salon des Refusés. His work is held by institutions including Artbank, Western Sydney University, Sydney University, and James Cook University in Townsville. The conversation explores the development of his visual language and the role of sustained studio practice. Peter discusses how his approach has evolved over time while remaining grounded in close observation of the natural environment. He reflects on the challenges of maintaining a long term creative career and the importance of continuing to experiment with materials, colour, and composition. We also discuss Yuraygir , his exhibition with Defiance Gallery, inspired by time spent in Wooli and the surrounding landscapes of Yuraygir National Park on the New South Wales coast. Peter talks about the influence of rivers, estuaries, birds, trees, tides, and changing weather on his work and why Australian places continue to provide a strong foundation for his practice. This episode offers an insight into the working life of an established Australian artist and the ongoing relationship between landscape, observation, and painting. Peter shares. His exhibition opens 29th August 2026 at Defiance Gallery, Sydney. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Australian artist Dan Kyle joins the podcast to discuss his painting practice and his long connection to the landscapes of the Blue Mountains and Hawkesbury regions of New South Wales. A graduate of the National Art School, Kyle has built a career focused on exploring the Australian bush through works that sit between observation and abstraction. His paintings draw on daily experiences of living and working close to the natural environment, reflecting changing light, weather, seasons and the ongoing relationship between people and place. In this conversation, Kyle shares how his surroundings influence his creative process, the challenges and rewards of making landscape painting relevant to contemporary audiences, and the importance of spending time observing the land. He also reflects on the impact of environmental events including drought, fire and flooding on both the landscape and his work. The discussion offers insight into the development of his artistic practice, his life as a painter in regional New South Wales, and his commitment to interpreting the Australian landscape through a personal lens. Kyle's work has been exhibited across Australia and is held in private and institutional collections. He was awarded the Brett Whiteley Travelling Art Scholarship in 2020 and continues to exhibit regularly while working from his studio on the edge of the Blue Mountains. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We interview the winners of the 2026 Northern Beaches Environmental Art & Design Prize , presented at Manly Art Gallery & Museum in August 2026 . Ceramicist Scott Duncan took out the Art category with his work Choice Quality , a ceramic piece inspired by everyday packaging materials such as fruit box cardboard. Drawing on his experience as a chef, Duncan explores cycles of consumption, waste and renewal through his practice. The work incorporates handmade beads created from recycled waste clay, transforming discarded material into something valuable and enduring. In this episode, Scott discusses what winning the prize means to him, his connection to Manly, and his creative practice at Kil.n.it Studio in Glebe. We also talk about the ideas behind Choice Quality and how his work encourages us to reconsider the materials we use, discard and overlook in everyday life. Scott is represented by Arthouse Gallery in Sydney We speak with Nahum McLean, Ben Styles and Stefan Lie , winners of the Design category at the 2026 Northern Beaches Environmental Art & Design Prize , about their project Motherboard . Designers, researchers and surfers, the trio work at the Material Ecologies Design Lab at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) , where they develop innovative materials from diverse waste streams. Their work explores how design can help address environmental challenges by rethinking the materials and systems that shape everyday products. Motherboard responds to a long-standing tension within surfing: the sport's deep dependence on healthy coastal ecosystems alongside the environmental impacts of the petrochemical materials traditionally used to manufacture surfboards. The project reimagines the surfboard by replacing its conventional foam core with a material grown from kombucha SCOBY , offering a glimpse of a more sustainable future for board design. In this episode, Nahum, Ben and Stefan discuss the research and experimentation behind Motherboard , the potential of bio-based materials, and the role of design in creating alternatives to resource-intensive manufacturing. We also explore how their shared passions for surfing, environmental stewardship and material innovation have shaped this award-winning work. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Art Wank, we chat with artist Sophie Cape about the winding path that led her from elite sport to a life in contemporary art. Before establishing herself as an artist, Sophie competed at a high level in both skiing and cycling, dedicating years to training, competition, and the pursuit of performance. She reflects on the mindset required to succeed in sport and how those experiences continue to shape the way she approaches her work today. Sophie also shares what it was like growing up with artist Ann Cape as her mother. Surrounded by creativity from an early age, art was always present in her life, although it would take many years and several career changes before she fully embraced it as her own path. We discuss the influence of family, the balance between inspiration and independence, and how her creative identity developed over time. A major turning point came with a series of injuries that ultimately brought her sporting career to an end. Sophie speaks candidly about the emotional impact of stepping away from elite competition and the challenge of rebuilding a sense of purpose after sport. What followed was a gradual shift towards art making, where she found a new outlet for curiosity, experimentation, and ambition. We delve into Sophie's distinctive creative process, which often invites chance and the natural environment into the making of the work. Rather than treating the canvas as a static surface, she subjects it to weather, landscape, and time. Canvases are dragged across the ground, exposed to wind and rain, or left outdoors for weeks at a time, allowing the elements to leave their own marks. The resulting works become collaborations between artist and environment, capturing traces of movement, place, and duration. We also celebrate Sophie's success as winner of the Hadley's Art Prize, a significant milestone that brought wider recognition to her practice. She reflects on what the award meant for her career and the opportunities that followed, alongside the realities of sustaining a creative life. Sophie is represented by Liverpool St Gallery in Sydney Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, artist Sandi Hester discusses her career as a painter, teacher, and YouTube creator. She shares the story behind her move from the United States to Exeter, England, and reflects on the practical and creative changes that came with relocating to a new country. Sandi talks about setting up a new studio, adjusting to life in Devon, and finding inspiration in her new surroundings. The conversation also explores her approach to making art, developing a consistent practice, and balancing painting with creating online content. Sandi reflects on the lessons she has learned from building an audience, growing as an artist, and staying focused through periods of change. The episode offers insight into the realities of a creative career and how a major life move can open the door to new ideas, experiences, and directions in an artist’s work. Sandi's work was in the Royal Academy Summer Exhibiton 2026 You can look at Sandi's work, art classes and youtube trhough her website sandihester.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

John Peart (1945–2013) was one of Australia's most respected abstract painters. Across a career spanning almost five decades, he developed a deeply personal visual language shaped by observation, intuition and a lifelong commitment to painting. From his early years in Brisbane to his long association with Watters Gallery and the artists' community at Wedderburn, Peart continually pushed his work in new directions while remaining true to the act of looking, questioning and making. His achievements included winning the Wynne Prize in 1997 and the Sulman Prize in 2000, and his work is held in every major Australian public collection. In this episode, Julie Nicholson and Gary Seller are joined by artists Euan Macleod and Joe Frost to celebrate Peart's life, work and enduring influence. Rather than a formal biography, this is a conversation between artists who knew him personally and whose own practices have been shaped by his generosity, intelligence and remarkable paintings. Together they discuss Peart's relentless curiosity, his openness to experimentation, his connection to landscape and abstraction, and the way his work balanced structure with freedom. They reflect on his role within the Wedderburn community, his years teaching at the National Art School, and the impact he had on generations of Australian painters. They also consider why his work continues to resonate and what today's artists can learn from his approach to painting as an ongoing process of discovery. About Euan Macleod Euan Macleod is one of Australia's leading contemporary painters. Born in Christchurch, New Zealand, he moved to Sydney in 1981 and has built an internationally recognised career exploring the relationship between the human figure and the landscape. Known for his expressive surfaces and psychologically charged paintings, Macleod has received numerous major awards and has taught painting at the National Art School. He knew John Peart for many years and contributed to the 2004 John Peart: Paintings 1964–2004 retrospective publication. About Joe Frost Joe Frost is a Sydney-based painter whose practice moves between observation and abstraction, drawing on memory, place and the experience of everyday life. Exhibiting since 1999, he has developed a distinctive body of work through an improvisational and layered approach to painting. Frost knew John Peart personally, has written extensively about his work, contributed essays to both the 2004 retrospective and the recently published John Peart monograph, and brings unique insight into Peart's practice and legacy. This episode is a thoughtful tribute to one of Australia's most significant painters and a rare opportunity to hear two artists reflect on the life, ideas and lasting influence of a friend, mentor and extraordinary painter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Osvaldo Budet: Upriver Downriver Maitland Regional Art Gallery opens July 11th 2026, opening night 24th July and 25th July a talk and Q & A with Dr Nancy Cushing from University of Newcastle. Puerto Rican Australian artist Osvaldo Budet joins Art Wank to discuss Upriver Downriver , his exhibition at Maitland Regional Art Gallery exploring one of the Hunter region's most debated public monuments: Maitland's Black Boy statue, now more commonly referred to as Jocko Graves. For more than a century, the cast iron figure has stood in the centre of Maitland's civic life. Celebrated by some as a beloved local landmark and questioned by others for its racial imagery and colonial associations, the statue has become a focal point for conversations about history, memory, race, and heritage. Budet's work is informed by his experience growing up in Borikén, Puerto Rico, a place still shaped by colonial structures and histories. In Upriver Downriver , he considers how inherited images and public monuments continue to shape contemporary understandings of identity, authority, and belonging. Rather than offering simple answers, the exhibition asks how communities engage with historical objects whose meanings shift over time. This conversation explores the power of monuments, the persistence of colonial narratives in public space, and the ways artists can help us reimagine our relationships with difficult histories. Osvaldo Budet (b. 1979) is a Puerto Rican artist whose multidisciplinary practice spans painting, drawing, photography, video, and research based projects. His work examines the physical, historical, and political dimensions of colonisation and post colonisation, exploring how systems of power shape culture, identity, and memory. Budet received a Master of Fine Arts in Painting from the Maryland Institute College of Art, where he studied under Grace Hartigan. Since 2008, he has lived and worked across Puerto Rico, Germany, the United States, and Australia. His work has been exhibited internationally, including at the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Puerto Rico, Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, me Collectors Room Berlin, the Museum of Latin American Art, and numerous galleries and institutions throughout Europe, the Americas, and Australia. Through Upriver Downriver , Budet brings a global perspective on colonialism, representation, and historical memory to a distinctly local Australian story, inviting audiences to consider how we preserve, reinterpret, and reckon with the complex objects of our past. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Inga Dalrymple is a visual artist whose practice explores painting and drawing as a dialogue between material, gesture and perception. Working between abstraction and observation, she is interested in how paint can hold traces of movement, memory and experience. Inspired by nature and the feelings it can evoke, Inga works through processes of layering, erasing and reworking. These actions become a record of time and thought, revealing decisions and changes made during the making of a work. Gesture sits at the centre of her practice. For Inga, each mark carries memory, emotion and a sense of place, while also acting as a way of thinking through painting. Forms appear and disappear, allowing the surface to guide the work as it develops. In this episode of Art Wank, Inga talks about painting as a process of thinking, the role of gesture and memory, and how abstraction can give form to experiences that are difficult to define. Inga is represented by Otomys. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Australian artist Chris Horder joins Art Wank to discuss a painting practice shaped by intuition, chance and decades of experimentation. Known for his atmospheric stain paintings, Horder draws on influences ranging from Eastern ink traditions to Abstract Expressionism, creating works that embrace unpredictability and the unexpected. In this episode, he reflects on leaving school early to pursue art, the influence of travel and literature on his thinking, and the ongoing search for meaning through painting. Chris shares insights into his studio process, the balance between control and accident, and the importance of remaining open to discovery. The conversation ranges from art history and bohemian life to the realities of sustaining a creative career. Horder is a finalist of multiple major art prizes and scholarships including the Brett Whiteley Travelling Art Scholarship and Dobell Prize. His paintings are in major public and private collection in Australia and around the world. Chris is represented by Nanda Hobbs in Sydney. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Australian artist Rosemary Lee joins Art Wank to discuss the quiet power of observation, the language of drawing, and finding beauty in the everyday. Awarded the 2025 Dobell Drawing Prize $30,000 acquisitive prize for her work 24–1 (2024), Lee’s meticulously rendered pencil drawing explores the changing urban landscape of Sydney’s Inner West, capturing construction sites, demolition zones and the constant cycle of renewal that shapes contemporary life. Selected from 965 entries, the work impressed judges with its extraordinary detail, visual intensity and nuanced reflection on place and transience. In this episode, Rosemary talks about her artistic journey, the meditative process of drawing, and why subjects that many people overlook have become a source of endless fascination. From the complexities of gentrification and urban change to the challenges and rewards of maintaining a sustained studio practice, she shares the thinking behind the work that earned one of Australia’s most significant drawing awards. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Art Wank, we sit down with acclaimed Australian artist Joe Furlonger, @joefurlonger one of the country’s most respected and enduring painters of landscape and place. For more than four decades, Furlonger has built a remarkable career through an unwavering commitment to drawing, observation and the lived experience of the Australian environment. Known for his expressive mark-making and dynamic compositions, his work moves between figuration and abstraction, capturing the vastness, volatility and poetry of the Australian landscape. From floodplains and drought-stricken country to coastal waters and working harbours, Furlonger’s paintings reveal a deep engagement with the rhythms of the natural world. Born in Cairns and now based in Samford, Queensland, Furlonger has been a finalist in the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prizes on multiple occasions, and his work is held in major public collections including the National Gallery of Australia, the National Gallery of Victoria, the Art Gallery of New South Wales and QAGOMA. His celebrated survey exhibition Horizons continues to tour regional Queensland, introducing new audiences to the breadth of his practice. We discuss the central role drawing plays in his daily life, the challenges and rewards of maintaining a long artistic career, and the ways landscape painting can become a vehicle for contemplation, memory and human connection. Joe reflects on his relationship with the Australian sublime, his years spent travelling and working in remote regions, and the enduring importance of looking closely at the world around us. The conversation coincides with Furlonger’s current exhibition, Into the Blue, showing at @defiancegallery from 6–27 June 2026. The exhibition presents powerful new works inspired by coastal Australia, continuing his exploration of landscape as both physical reality and emotional terrain. This episode offers a rare opportunity to hear from a painter whose work has shaped contemporary Australian landscape painting for generations. #joefurlonger #art #artpodcast #artist Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we speak with Andrew Jensen, founder and director of Fox Jensen , one of Australia's leading contemporary art galleries and Fox Jensen Mccrory, alongside Emma Fox and Sarah Mccrory. Andrew discusses the evolution of the gallery, from its beginnings to its current presence in both Sydney and New Zealand. We explore the changing landscape of contemporary art, what makes a successful artist gallery relationship, and how a commercial gallery balances artistic vision with the realities of the art market. The conversation also touches on collecting, the international art scene, the enduring significance of painting, and the role galleries play in supporting artists throughout their careers. Andrew shares insights from decades of experience working closely with established and emerging artists, offering a candid look at the challenges and opportunities facing contemporary art today. Whether you're an artist, collector, curator, or simply interested in contemporary culture, this episode provides a thoughtful perspective on the business, passion and commitment behind running a leading gallery. 'Andrew Jensen opened the gallery in New Zealand in 1988 and over the course of more than thirty-five years it has set itself aside in terms of its seamless presentation of international work alongside the most considered practices from the region. In early 2011 the gallery expanded to Australia opening a second gallery in Sydney. Multiple exhibitions by major artists such as Imi Knoebel, Fred Sandback, Tony Oursler, Helmut Federle, Günter Umberg, Winston Roeth, Lawrence Carroll, Elisabeth Vary and Callum Innes altered and enriched the local conditions. These exhibitions continued to provide the basis for an increasingly expansive approach that has seen the curated aspect of the gallery grow. There have been numerous notable projects over the last decade or more including E=MC2, Naked, The Architecture of Colour, Six Degrees of Separation, Points of Orientation, Detox, Melancholia, The Authority of Death, Farben, Saturation, There’s Joy in Repetition, Portrait without a Face, Eros , Permafrost and more recently Raven, Plastic Soul, Terrain, No One’s Rose & Rain. The galleries’ programs have developed a welcome richness and energy with the inclusion of a newer generation of international artists including Jan Albers, Mark Francis, Hanns Kunitzberger, Sofie Muller, Erin Lawlor, Liat Yossifor, Koen Delaere, Jane Bustin and Gideon Rubin. Alongside this, artists from the region include Aida Tomescu, Tomislav Nikolic, Matthew Allen, Geoff Thornley, Robert Malherbe, Jenny Topfer, Todd Hunter and Gary McMillan. The galleries are also privileged to hold the Estate of Bill & Pip Culbert. With the opening of the major new gallery space in Sydney in late 2025 the galleries have both expanded and consolidated its program. In 2026 the galleries are presenting works by celebrated artists Ian Davenport (UK), Paul Czerlitzki (POL), Ingo Meller (GER), Ulrike Schulze (GER), Gerold Millar (GER) and Lucienne O’Mara (UK). Fox Jensen, Sydney and Fox Jensen McCrory, Auckland are run in close partnership with its artists by Andrew Jensen, Emma Fox and Sarah McCrory. It participates annually in art fairs whilst remaining deeply committed to its galleries’ programs and to publishing.' - Fox Jensen Website Thanks for Andrew Jensen and Emma Fox for having us in their home for the converstauon. Fox jensen Gallery, cnr Brennan &, McEvoy St, Alexandria NSW 2015 Fox Jensen Mcrorym, 10 Putiki St, Gtey Lynn, AKL 1021 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Art Wank, we speak with Mason Kimber , a Sydney based artist represented by N.Smith Gallery and Sophie Gannon Gallery . Kimber’s practice moves between textural painting, sculptural relief and installation, exploring the relationship between architecture, memory and surface. We discuss how childhood experiences wandering through his father’s Perth nightclubs shaped his fascination with interiors, texture and built environments, and how these memories continue to inform his paintings today. Kimber reflects on expanding the language of painting through moulding, casting and framing, creating works that sit somewhere between painting, object and architecture. The conversation also touches on studying fresco painting during his residency at the British School at Rome, completing a PhD focused on expanded painting practices, and balancing studio work with teaching at the National Art School and UNSW Art & Design. A conversation about memory, materiality, architecture and the possibilities of painting beyond the flat surface. Magenta House Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lustre is a new temporary exhibition that explores the Allied campaigns in Greece and Crete in 1941 through the works of contemporary artists who walked in their footsteps in 2025. Lustre Force was the code name for the combined Australian, New Zealand and British army units deployed to protect Greece from Nazi attack in 1941. The Allied defence of Greece was overwhelmed in three and a half weeks in April 1941 and in May, Crete fell to a Nazi airborne invasion in just ten days. To record those heroic but doomed campaigns, Australia and New Zealand sent war artists and a photographer. Eighty-five years later, artists from Australia and New Zealand retraced their footsteps, walking the battlefields and visiting the cemeteries where the men and women of Lustre Force and their German foe lie. Lustre showcases the impressions they made of the impact of that journey. Some of the images show that the land and its people have recovered over time; others reveal that some scars take longer to fade. The exhibition opens on 15 May 2026 and is in the Memorial’s Auditorium on the Lower Floor. The Memorial is open every day, 9am to 5pm. Please note that access to the exhibition is dependent on the Auditorium’s use for education and other programs, so we encourage you to call the Memorial in advance on (02) 8262 2900. Entry is free Artists: Amanda Penrose Hart, Euan Mcleoud, Joanna Logue, Alan Daniel Jones, Deirdre Bean, Riste Andrievski, Angelika Androutsopolous, Michael Bradfield, Michelle Hiscock, Steve Lopes, Natalie OConnor and Rodney Pople Historian: Brad Manera, the Senior Historian and Curator of the Anzac Memorial in Hyde Park, Sydney Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gary has a chat with artist Julie Nicholson about her show, Nostalgia, opening May 21st at CBD Gallery in Sydney. Julie has recently exhibited with CBD Gallery at the Aotearoa Art Fair (NZ), and her work has been widely recognised in national awards such as the Paddington Art Prizre and the Muswellbrook, and held in private collections in Australia and overseas. She co-hosts the popular arts podcast, Art Wank . Her duo solo exhibition, Nostalgia , stems from a sense of homesickness after moving from the UK to Australia at the age of 23. A deep sense of nostalgia has shaped her life, and only recently did she discover that nostalgia was once considered a disease. The works in this exhibition sit within that tension, posing the question of whether nostalgia is something that nurtures us, or something that holds us back. Many of the canvases in the exhibition are split across multiple panels, reflecting the fractured experience of trying to locate familiarity within a foreign landscape. Moments of recognition such as sketching in Berrima in the Southern Highlands, where the landscape can feel momentarily like home are interrupted by distinctly Australian elements, like a palm tree or native plant, which jolt her back into the awareness of distance and displacement. Julie has also titled many of the works using Old English words for landscape elements—such as weald , meaning forest. This reflects her interest in etymology and the evolution of language over time. Just as words shift, fall out of use, and take on new meanings, her understanding of the Australian landscape has also changed. Language, like memory, holds a connection to the past while continually adapting to the present, mirroring her experience of navigating place, identity, and belonging. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Brett McMahon is a Newcastle-based painter whose work explores the structures and rhythms of the natural and built environment. Represented by Nanda Hobbs, McMahon has built a significant practice spanning painting, drawing and installation. His work is known for its distilled, abstract language, bold lines, shifting geometries and a strong sense of spatial tension. Drawing from the coastal bush, industrial architecture and lived experience of place, his paintings sit somewhere between observation and reconstruction, where landscape becomes structure. Over a career spanning more than three decades, McMahon has held over 30 solo exhibitions and exhibited widely across Australia and internationally. His work is held in public, corporate and private collections across Australia, Europe, Asia and the United States. In this conversation, we talk about painting as a way of thinking, the role of environment in shaping visual language, and how a practice evolves over time without losing its core concerns. We also get into scale, material and the push and pull between control and intuition in the studio. Brett is represented by Nanda Hobbs in Sydney Brett's show at Gosford Art Gallery Understory, opens 16th May 2026 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Send us Fan Mail Joe Frost is an Australian artist. He was born in Sydney in 1974 and has exhibited consistently since 1999. His visual thinking evolved in the urban environment and he is, in a sense, a local painter. Sydney’s remnant industrial areas were the subject of his earliest drawings and paintings and he has made extensive series of work in response to the western reaches of Sydney Harbour, the city’s CBD and the green, suburban precinct of Denistone. At times he has worked en plein air but his renditions of place have more usually been filtered through memory in the studio, where his approach to painting is improvisatory and layered. Over 25 years his process of finding-in-paint has come to manifest a great variety of subject matters, including public places, garden spaces, domestic objects and human figures in social situations. Some paintings land upon abstraction and are no less concerned with the matter of recognition: what is presented on the picture plane and what does the mind make of it? In all of Joe Frost's work a process is in play, whereby meaningful visual structure is divined from the flux of experience. Joe is represented by Liverpool Street Gallery in Sydney Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.