Canberra Contemporary Art Space Board and Staff respectfully acknowledge the traditional custodians of Kamberri/Canberra and the ACT region, the Ngunnawal, Ngunawal and Ngambri peoples on whose unceded lands our galleries are located; their Ancestors, Elders past and present; and recognise their ongoing connections to Culture and Country. We also respectfully acknowledge all traditional custodians throughout Australia whose art we have exhibited over the past 40+ years, and upon whose unceded lands the Board and Staff travel.
Cover ZEV AVIV Birthing Pool 2023 exhibited in BLAZE, November 2023 Mixed media, dimensions variable Photo by Brenton McGeachie Left NADEENA DIXON at the opening of Texture, Canberra Contemporary Art Space, February 2023 Photo by Hilary Wardhaugh
Image ISAAC KAIROUZ installing chi§ke?ns ? missihg?f? 2023
Mixed media, dimensions variable
Exhibited in BLAZE, November 2023
Photo by CCAS
WE ARE KAMBERRI / CANBERRA’S LEADING INDEPENDENT CONTEMPORARY VISUAL ARTS ORGANISATION. WE BRING FRESH IDEAS AND BOLD DIRECTIONS IN ART TO A BROAD AND ENGAGED AUDIENCE.
Image CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE in Spring Photo by CCAS
Image TEXTURE opening night, February 2023
Photo by Hilary Wardhaugh
Canberra Contemporary Art Space (CCAS) is committed to the growth and development of contemporary art in Kamberri/Canberra. Exhibiting ambitious work that challenges perceptions, our diverse programs engage with communities, allies, and leading artists across local, national and international sectors. We cultivate enthusiastic and informed audiences who value contemporary culture and support our work.
CCAS is recognised by artsACT as a leading ACT arts organisation. CCAS is a founding member of the Contemporary Art Organisations Australia (CAOA), a national network of 15 esteemed small and medium organisations that are seen as laboratories for testing new ideas and directions for the contemporary visual arts.
CCAS exhibitions and related public programs were located at CCAS Lakeside and CCAS Manuka in 2023. CCAS is a not-for-profit association supported by a Board and professional staff that have relevant skills in the arts, governance, finance, business, marketing and academia.
Image JANE BODNARUK
Portraits of Care, (detail) 2023
Second-hand clothes, muslin, tulle, wool roving, dimensions variable Exhibited in Texture, 2023
Chair’s Report
2023 was a fulfilling and eventful year, marking the initial implementation of our 2023-2026 strategic plan and the first year of our four-year Arts Organisation Investment funding from artsACT (and year three of four-year Australian Government Visual Arts and Craft Strategy funding, administered through Creative Australia – formerly the Australia Council for the Arts). Throughout the year, our endeavours were dedicated to achieving our five strategic goals:
Presenting the best in contemporary art practice through a rich program of well-crafted exhibitions: CCAS Manuka hosted 23 exhibitions featuring 40 artists, while CCAS Lakeside presented seven exhibitions highlighting 46 artists, showcasing ambitious work that challenged perceptions, and offered numerous public programs. Our members' showcase was generously supported by Canberra City Framing, The Jetty, Eckersley's Art & Craft Braddon, and Abell’s Kopi Tiam restaurant. CCAS exhibition openings have become vibrant highlights of the social calendar, and our programs and services have been in high demand, pushing us to the limits of our capacity.
Growing the audience for contemporary art in Canberra, with a loyal core following and a regular flow of new visitors: Despite closing on Sundays in 2023 – due to receiving only 60% of our core funding request from artsACT – CCAS saw a 4% increase in overall visitation compared to 2022, welcoming over 13,000 visitors across our two locations. Additionally, our membership grew by 15%, and our social media followers increased by 12%; while donor revenue increased by 60%. This year CCAS joined the Community of Practice, an 18-month research project run by Deakin University examining the influence of organisational practice on audience diversity. Through this initiative, CCAS received mentorship from industry experts, identified youth as a target audience for diversification, and developed a visitor survey to gain insights into our current audience. Remarkably, since introducing the visitor survey at CCAS Lakeside in July, findings have shown that 47% of survey respondents are visiting CCAS for the first time, with 40% coming from interstate.
Developing the careers of artists and arts workers by providing opportunities, support, and guidance: Through professional development opportunities, including the Back and Forth Intergenerational Conversation forum, Arts Law information session, as well as supporting three significant solo exhibitions at CCAS Lakeside and 18 solo exhibitions at CCAS Manuka – six of which were inaugural solo shows – CCAS provided mentoring and support to our artist-in-residence and interns; and supported new voices through the commissioning of essays to accompany our Lakeside gallery solo exhibitions, as well as provided opportunities and support to three independent curators. Dan Toua (our Gallery Manager + Associate Curator) was successfully supported by CCAS in securing a place in the competitive Audrey Fagan Leadership and Communication Program, an ACT-based initiative aimed at empowering
women through tailored workshops, coaching sessions, and resources to enhance leadership and public speaking skills. CCAS also engaged in Creative Australia’s Digital Strategist-in-Residence program, collaborating with digital consultants Meeum for three months. Meeum consulted with our community by conducting stakeholder interviews, artist roundtables, and ideation sessions with staff, board members, and external stakeholders to shape CCAS's digital strategy and foster its digital growth – a key insight gleaned from the stakeholder consultations was that CCAS is loved, and our community are invested in its success.
Increasing long-term financial resilience through grants, collaborations, and a new focus on private giving: In addition to our core funding, CCAS was successful in applying for Events ACT funding to deliver the Back and Forth project in July in partnership with the Australian National University School of Art & Design for the inaugural Winter Innovation Festival Uncharted Territory. We also hosted the MARION 2023 ACT Notable Awards event in June, and the University of Canberra’s Australasian Association of Writing Programs We need to talk conference party in November, as part of our venue hire collaborations. In 2023 we drafted and implemented a fundraising and partnership strategy (development plan), and our Annual Appeal raised money for a new initiative, the CCAS Manuka Mural, and, thanks to the generosity of 40 donors we were able to make this project happen, with 85% of those being first time donors to CCAS. Towards the end of the year, we received notification of our successful application for Creative Australia’s Plus 1 funding for 2024, a dollar-for-dollar matched fundraising program aimed at enhancing the fundraising endeavours of small to medium not-for-profit arts organisations.
Ensuring that CCAS promotes and supports responsible governance: CCAS retained, and recruited as necessary, an engaged, committed, and appropriately skilled board. In 2023 we formalised our board documents and processes, including drafting a board member duty statement and comprehensive induction pack. The board attended a Fundraising & Governance workshop at CCAS presented by Creative Australia (then Creative Partnerships Australia) and established a Fundraising sub-committee. In addition to our Annual General Meeting, this year we also held a Special General Meeting where members endorsed the revision and modernisation of the CCAS Constitution. These updates ensure that our Constitution aligns with CCAS's present operations and that we adhere to relevant updated legislation and compliance requirements. Our Director, Janice Falsone, took part in the Australian Institute of Company Director’s Foundations of Directorship course, offered through the Creative Australia’s leadership program Governance Training for Organisations. Additionally, our staff and board members, who hadn’t already done so, engaged in the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies CORE Cultural Awareness training, made possible thanks to artsACT.
The board and Director also updated the CCAS strategic plan, for 2025-2028, for Creative Australia’s multi-year funding applications which were due in 2023, outlining our bold vision and plans to build on our strengths, and increase our capacity and support of artists. While we were unsuccessful in the Visual Arts and Craft Strategy funding round, in December 2023 CCAS successfully secured four-year investment funding from Creative Australia for 20252028, with a welcomed 127% increase on the current funding we receive from Creative Australia. This commitment provides CCAS with essential support for the coming years.
CCAS continued to engage productively with the ACT Government, and peer organisations, to plan for the forthcoming Kingston Arts Precinct (KAP). KAP is a commitment to CCAS's future with dedicated studios, exhibition and office spaces earmarked for CCAS at KAP from 2027. We have been working closely with the other KAP organisations (Craft + Design Canberra, Canberra Glassworks, M16 Artspace, Megalo Print Studio, and Photo Access), embarking on joint advocacy efforts including a joint Treasury submission. In response to advocacy led by the M16 Artspace board, the ACT Government committed to provide financial assistance equal to 75% of our rent for the years 2024, 2025, and 2026, to all KAP organisations currently paying rent, as recognition of the delay to the KAP project.
I extend my thanks to my fellow board members: continuing board members - Tina Baum, Paul Magee, and Adam Peppinck (Secretary); new board members - Colleen Kelly (joined, as Treasurer at the AGM), Waratah Lahy (joined at the AGM), and Irene Lemon (joined January 2023); and outgoing board members Ian Whyte (served from 2007 as Treasurer) and Ellis Hutch [aka Dr Kate Murphy] (served two years), who both stepped down from the board at the April AGM.
In addition, I’d like to thank CCAS staff: Janice Falsone, Alexander Boynes, Dan Toua, as well as our team of interns and casuals, and our contract bookkeeper Phil van Zomeren.
Finally, a heartfelt thanks to our supporters: ACT Government, artsACT, National Capital Authority (National Triangle), Creative Australia, members, donors, collaborators, and exhibiting artists.
Amanda Biggs Chair
Director’s Report
In 2023 CCAS increased support for artists and focused on collaboration. I am particularly pleased we were able to more than double the financial support provided to artists, commission new work, and offer significant exhibition opportunities across our two venues, as well as provide professional development opportunities to artists, curators, and arts workers, with a staff team totalling only 2.45 full-time equivalents.
Key achievements included negotiating a longer lease for our main space, and securing increased multi-year funding from Creative Australia to bolster capacity and enhance support for artists across both our venues from 2025. We also implemented professionally designed exhibition promotional materials, and increased our financial oversight and compliance while streamlining administration processes with the assistance of our new bookkeeper. To deliver on our goal of presenting the best in contemporary art practice through a rich program of well-crafted exhibitions, we focused on four main initiatives:
A well-resourced and impactful CCAS main gallery program:
At CCAS Lakeside in 2023 we presented newly commissioned and recent projects by leading early- and mid-career artists and curators, with a focus on ACT-region practitioners. We also raised artist fees and exhibition expenses to align with the revised payment standards of the National Association for the Visual Arts, enhancing our support for artists.
We began the year with an exhibition curated by Dan Toua. Texture showcased the work of six local and interstate textile artists, presenting work that explored care, feminism, environmentalism, and cultural heritage and identity.
PETER MALONEY, THE MIRROR: Angles of resistance was a significant exhibition examining Peter Maloney’s practice from the perspective of the artist’s gay male / queer sexuality in a single project, for the first time in his 40-year career. Curated by Maloney’s partner Mark Bayly, this was the last solo exhibition during the artist’s lifetime. Shortly before his passing, Maloney received the prestigious honour of being selected as one of the artists for the esteemed Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art. Throughout his career, Maloney exhibited multiple times with CCAS and was a much-loved member of the Kamberri/Canberra arts community and beyond. His absence is deeply felt.
Anja Loughhead, an independent writer, curator, and former CCAS artist-in-residence, curated Bodies without Organs which engaged seven queer and non-binary local and interstate artists who intentionally destabilise the traditional codes of abstract painting and sculpture to create works of art that question binary notions of gender, identity, and the body.
Our paired solo exhibitions featured innovative, experimental projects by prominent artists Dean Cross and Anna Madeleine Raupach. Cross, an alumnus of CCAS’s artist-in-residence program, was born and raised on Ngunnawal/ Ngambri Country and is of Worimi descent. His exhibition, Sad State, presented new and reimagined work about storms, stains and silence. Raupach, a Kamberri/Canberra based artist and researcher, showcased Signal to Noise, which interwove planetary and personal perspectives with materials of crisis and care.
The main gallery program concluded with the revival of our emerging artist showcase, BLAZE. Curated by Alexander Boynes, this group exhibition celebrated the local scene and our rising stars. BLAZE received an enthusiastic reception from audiences and contributed to a significant increase in youth attendance in 2023.
CCAS Manuka as a site of experimentation and growth:
In 2023 we supported 23 diverse and engaging exhibitions at CCAS Manuka, showcasing predominantly early-career artists and experimental art practice. Highlights included Off the Loom, which showcased emerging experimental textile artists Rosie Armstrong and Kate Rice, and was curated by CCAS intern Poppy Thomson; and HIT PRINT! which presented giant banners by Alison Alder in collaboration with eight artists from Hands on Studio, supported by Canberra Art Biennial City Commissions and the ACT Government.
In 2023, we reintroduced the CCAS artist-in-residence program, hosting ANU School of Art & Design honours graduate Bridget Baskerville, who presented her first solo exhibition, Tailings, at CCAS Manuka in December.
To identify areas of improvement, we implemented a formal program of exhibitor feedback and data collection at CCAS Manuka. Artwork sales totalled over $46,780: with no commissions taken, this amount was delivered in full to exhibiting artists. Artists expressed a satisfaction rating of 94% for their exhibition experience at CCAS Manuka, and 100% at CCAS Lakeside.
New voices commissioned to write about our exhibitions:
As a new initiative to broaden the voices at CCAS and enhance networks for artists, we commissioned essays to accompany our paired-solo exhibitions, with writer, researcher, and artist Lauren Carrol Harris, responding to Dean Cross’ show, and Tim Riley Walsh, Assistant Curator Museum of Contemporary Art, providing an overview of Anna Madeleine Raupach’s exhibition. Six e-catalogues were published to accompany exhibitions at our main gallery, each featuring insightful essays and professional documentation. These are available for free online, enabling the shows to have a life beyond the physical exhibition. We also commissioned an essay response to the Back and Forth: An Intergenerational Conversation forum from early career writer Poppy Thomson, and four of our Manuka shows featured accompanying essays.
Project and artwork commissions to augment our program:
In 2023, public programs were designed to increase understanding, engage diverse audiences, and exchange ideas. We delivered 49 public programs, which included 28 exhibition openings, seven floor talk events, four workshops/ forums, two performances, two members’ events including a showcase exhibition, and six other arts-related events.
Highlights included: a Texture exhibition community knitting circle with artist Kate Just, contributing to her artwork Conversation Piece; and “speed artist talks”, which preceded the openings of the Texture, Bodies without Organs, and BLAZE exhibitions. These talks gave an informal overview of the exhibitions and an opportunity to meet the artists.
Image CONTEMPORARY ARTS ORGANISATIONS AUSTRALIA at CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE
Image (L-R): Top Row: Penelope Benton (National Association for the Visual Arts), Robert Leonard (Institute of Modern Art), Petrit Abazi (Northern Centre for Contemporary Art), Max Delany (Australian Centre for Contemporary Art), Michael Edwards (Contemporary Art Tasmania), Mikala Tai (Creative Australia), Con Gerakaris (4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art), Daniel Boetker-Smith (Centre for Contemporary Photography), Sarah Wall (Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts), Caity Reynolds (Firstdraft). Bottom Row: Claire Richardson (Australian Centre for Contemporary Art), Sebastian Henry-Jones (West Space), Kimba Thompson (Blak Dot Gallery), Tracy Burgess (Gertrude Contemporary), Vanessa Lloyd (Performance Space), Alexie Glass-Kantor (Artspace), Alexander Boynes (CCAS), Sarah Rose (Artspace), Janice Falsone (CCAS), Patrice Sharkey (Adelaide Contemporary Experimental), Dan Toua (CCAS).
Another notable event was Back And Forth: An Intergenerational Conversation, a forum during which artists discussed aspects of a thriving career in Kamberri/Canberra and how opportunities and challenges have changes over time. This year also saw our first mural commission, with byrd (Dan Maginnity) selected from a competitive public call-out to create a new temporary artwork for the CCAS Manuka façade.
Collaborating with peers and colleagues is essential for a flourishing sector, and in 2023 CCAS hosted the two-day Contemporary Arts Organisations Australia conference at CCAS Lakeside. The event welcomed leaders from 14 interstate peer organisations, and key industry stakeholders from the National Association for the Visual Arts, Creative Australia, the Office of the Arts, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and the National Gallery of Australia. The conference coinciding with the opening of the exhibition Between Things by local artists Joel Arthur and Dionisia Salas at CCAS Manuka. It was a fantastic opportunity for our interstate guests to experience Kamberri/Canberra’s vibrant artistic scene firsthand.
In addition to mentoring and supporting exhibiting artists and curators, our team also offered professional practice guidance to art students, including formal critical feedback sessions with students from the Canberra Institute of Technology’s Diploma of Visual Art and Certificate 4 in Visual Art programs. We also delivered a presentation to students enrolled in the Professional Practice course at the ANU School of Art & Design. I also had the pleasure of joining the panel for the ANU School of Art & Design’s Sustainable Creative Careers: Getting your creative career started session aimed at students and graduates.
Alongside the efforts of the Board and staff, I would like to acknowledge the generous contribution of the CCAS community in 2023, including exhibiting artists, curators, writers, industry peers and collaborators, donors and supporters, visitors, members, and volunteers. CCAS is fortunate to receive multi-year financial support from the ACT Government and Creative Australia, both of which are vital to our sustainability, augmented by additional public and private support. We are grateful for the continued confidence and backing from every one of our supporters.
I look forward to continuing working with the Board, staff and CCAS’s legendary community to realise our goals and provide opportunities for artists, curators, writers, and arts workers to develop new work and foster sustainable practices and careers. It is an absolute privilege to work with the CCAS community to support the production and presentation of new work.
Janice Falsone Director
Treasurer’s Report
In 2023, CCAS recorded an overall operating profit of $49,268. This compares to an $18,204 deficit in 2022 and a $927 surplus in 2021. The organisation generated $406,312 of income and incurred expenses of $357,044. The income was nearly 20% higher than the previous year. Total expenses were in line with 2022. This is despite the inflationary environment and a decision to increase remuneration to exhibiting artists. Increased expenses were offset by reduced operating hours (Sundays at CCAS lakeside).
The operating grants received in 2023 were essential for CCAS’s financial viability. CCAS received $300,000 from the ACT Arts Fund (for 2023-2026 Arts Organisation Investment funding) and $42,262 from Creative Australia (for 20212024 Visual Arts and Craft Strategy funding).
In 2023, CCAS has successfully secured a new four-year organisational funding commitment from Creative Australia: $100,000 per year from 2025-2028. This is $57,738 per year more than our current annual funding.
Other factors contributing to our improved financial position in 2023 include a 4% increase in visitation (even after implementing the closure of our Sunday opening at CCAS lakeside), significant increases in donations, income from events, and bank interest. We have significantly improved our financial management systems and processes and have renegotiated our lease with the National Capital Authority to secure a fixed 3% (rather than CPI-based) annual increase. The Board expresses its gratitude to all members for their contributions and acknowledged the ongoing financial support provided by the ACT Government through artsACT and the Australian Government through Creative Australia. However, for CCAS to achieve further growth, especially in the lead up to the Kingston Arts Precinct, CCAS will depend on private sector fundraising and project grants.
As of 31 December 2023, CCAS had $150,684 in retained earnings. This is equivalent to 37% of CCAS’s gross annual income. Our current ratio of assets to liabilities at 31 December 2023 was 2.4 to 1. Also, at 31 December 2023 CCAS had reserves of $187,607 which is 46% of the 2023 turnover.
I would like to thank Janice Falsone for working closely with me and the Board in relation to the ongoing financial matters. Thank you also to the whole CCAS team and the Board for assisting and welcoming me in my first year as treasurer.
Colleen Kelly Treasurer
2023 At A Glance
Social media followers ⬆ 12%
Website views ⬆ 15%
81 artists exhibited
3 independent curators supported
Over $46,780 of artworks sold at CCAS Manuka ²
38 volunteers, contributing 900+ hours ³
* Compared to 2022 numbers
¹ In 2022, CCAS was open on Sundays at CCAS Lakeside, but in 2023, it discontinued Sunday operations at that location. Nonetheless, CCAS increased its overall visitation numbers in 2023.
² CCAS’s commission-free model meant 100% of artwork sales went to the artist/s
³ Includes CCAS Manuka invigilation
Statistics
Testimonials
I approached CCAS with a proposal to curate a survey exhibition of Peter Maloney’s work from a fresh perspective – an examination of the artist’s practice through a queer male lens. Maloney had identified unequivocally as a gay man his entire life, and his work had received positive critical attention for numerous reasons – except from the position of his sexuality. As both the artist’s partner, and as a professional curator, I felt strongly that this central aspect to the artist’s life informed and infused his practice on numerous levels, and merited fresh appraisal. CCAS enthusiastically supported this concept, and the project began to take shape within the gallery’s existing exhibition calendar. As a curator with 30 years’ experience across a broad range of public gallery venues, I knew implicitly that the exhibition I envisaged would result in an extraordinary visual and conceptual presence within the CCAS premises, which combined both generous, and more intimate spaces. The enthusiasm displayed by Jan, and the entire CCAS team at the outset of project planning continued throughout the duration of the exhibition, including embracing my proposal for an ambitious public program of talks and public conversations by professional colleagues. In addition, the CCAS team worked assiduously to garner media attention for this significant exhibition. The result was a project that combined effective levels of audience attendance and active participation, and which successfully reflected ACT Government initiatives and policies directed at celebrating not only contemporary artistic discourse, but also positive attitudes to sexual identity and cultural diversity.
MARK BAYLY
Mark Bayly is an independent curator, who curated the PETER MALONEY, THE MIRROR: Angles of Resistance exhibition at CCAS Lakeside 2023
Presenting Signal to Noise at CCAS was a career highlight that has advanced my position as an established Australian artist. This exhibition opportunity was unique in that the trust from CCAS enabled me to take risks necessary to develop a creative research project into new and innovative experimental work. The front space of CCAS allowed me to work at a scale previously untested, and to place new and previous work into dialogue to discover future trajectories for my practice. Engaging a professional writer to work on the catalogue essay expanded my networks and resulted in exciting professional relationships and documentation of the work. These outcomes attracted attention from curators at major state galleries (Museum of Contemporary Art, and Art Galley of South Australia) and potential acquisition from prominent collections (Canberra Museum & Gallery). This experience has cemented my understanding of the crucial role CCAS plays in building relationships with artists in Canberra’s community at all stages of their career, which benefits the Australian arts community at both a local and national scale.
ANNA MADELEINE RAUPACH
Anna Madeleine Raupach’s solo exhibition Signal to Noise was presented at CCAS Lakeside in 2023
Canberra Contemporary Art Space is fundamental to the Canberra art scene. I, like so many other young people, have found opportunity, inspiration, and incredible warmth at this institution. In 2022 I interned at CCAS, which culminated in curating an exhibition at CCAS Manuka in February 2023, titled Off the Loom. This show included the works of two recent ANU School of Art & Design graduates, so it was a wonderful opportunity for all of us. The Manuka space nurtures experimental art and emerging artists. I have seen many young creatives get their start here, in a space that welcomes challenging art by fostering an inclusive and imaginative ethos.
POPPY THOMSON
Poppy Thomson is an emerging independent curator and arts writer, who curated the Off the Loom exhibition that opened at CCAS Manuka in February 2023. Thomson completed an internship with CCAS in 2022, and Off the Loom was the culmination of her time at CCAS
As an early career artist and recent graduate, I found the mentorship with Canberra Contemporary Art Space a valuable opportunity to develop my professional practice in a well-supported environment. During this mentorship the team at CCAS provided feedback and support, including assistance with grant applications, suggestions on how to best promote my art practice online, feedback on my practice, as well as advice on how best to professionally communicate with galleries, curators, and arts organisations. I believe this mentorship to be a unique and valuable experience for emerging artists in Canberra, assisting them in developing strong foundations and networks within the Canberra art scene. I would love to see other emerging artists have this opportunity.
BRIDGET BASKERVILLE
Bridget Baskerville was CCAS’s 2023 artist-inresidence, a placement offered through the ANU School of Art & Design Emerging Artist Support Scheme. Baskerville’s exhibition Tailings was presented at CCAS Manuka in December 2023
CCAS IS AN ESSENTIAL PART OF THE PROCESS THROUGH WHICH NEW ART BECOMES ART HISTORY. AT CCAS LAKESIDE, WE CREATE MEANINGFUL, HIGHLY ANTICIPATED AND APPRECIATED EXHIBITIONS SHOWCASING THE BEST IN CONTEMPORARY ART PRACTICE.
Image ZEV AVIV, TILLEY DAVEY and SIOBHAN O'CONNOR's works exhibited in BLAZE, 2023 Photo by Brenton McGeachie
Image KATE JUST facilitates a knitting circle in front of her work: Anonymous was a woman, 2019-21, Hand knitted wool and acrylic yarns, timber, canvas, 65 panels (41 x 41 cm each), dimensions variable
Artistic Program, CCAS Lakeside
TEXTURE
JANE BODNARUK, NADEENA DIXON, KATE JUST, HAJI OH, ALIA PARKER, CHRYS ZANTIS
CURATED BY DAN TOUA
4 February - 1 April 2023
Audience: 2296
Before the rise of widespread ‘craftivism’ in the early 2000’s, textiles and craft had been relegated to being forms of ‘low art’ due to craft being seen as women’s work, or domestic art. Now, textiles and fibre artists are using this often dismissed medium to examine feminism, environmentalism, anti-capitalism and beyond. This exhibition showcased textile artists that push their materials past their boundaries, with artworks that invited us to question, examine and explore all that textiles can do and be. The exhibition included a series of vignettes of ‘care’ featuring skeleton clothes and manipulated cloths by Jane Bodnaruk, a work of Indigenous symbology communicated through coconut fibre, emu feathers and vines by Nadeena Dixon, a monument to lost female voices in the form of 65 hand knitted individual panels by Kate Just that proclaim ‘Anonymous was a woman’, an immersive installation of tapestries that tell a story of identity and homelands by Haji Oh, a large patchwork that perfectly interweaves biology and design by Alia Parker and a playful installation of large crochet artworks that crawled along the gallery walls and floor by Chrys Zantis.
Public programs and audience engagement:
• Texture exhibition e-catalogue available on the CCAS website;
• Artists talks by Jane Bodnaruk, Nadeena Dixon, Kate Just, Haji Oh, Alia Parker, and Chrys Zantis, followed by exhibition opening event with Welcome to Country by Ngambri & Ngunnawal custodian Paul Girrawah House (3 February);
• Knitting Circle with Kate Just, where participants contributed to Just’s community-engaged artwork Conversation Piece (4 February);
• Curator floor talk by Dan Toua for the Canberra Institute of Technology Visual Art Professional Practice students (9 March);
• Curator floor talk by Dan Toua with artist talk by Jane Bodnaruk (25 March).
Haji Oh’s stay in Canberra was supported by the Arts Capital’s Visiting Artists program at Gorman Arts Centre.
Nautical Map, 2017 (Texture installation photograph)
Linen, lead, hooks, plain-woven, four-selvaged cloth, warp-faced pick-up pattern, dimensions variable
Image HAJI OH Photo by Brenton McGeachie
THE MIRROR: Angles of resistance
PETER MALONEY. CURATED BY MARK BAYLY
15 April – 3 June 2023
Audience: 2021
This exhibition examined Peter Maloney’s practice from the perspective of the artist’s gay male / queer sexuality in a single project, for the first time in his 40-year career. Curated by Maloney's partner Mark Bayly, THE MIRROR: Angles of resistance provided a unique glimpse into Maloney’s intimate realm. All the works on display derived from the artist’s personal collection or archive – the majority of which had never previously been exhibited. Bayly said of the project: "The works displayed in the exhibition captured a sense of Maloney’s engagement with apparently opposing, if related ideas – the image and its mirrored reflection as distortion; the body – its relationship with youth and vigour, and its antithesis in aging and illness; abstraction – with the unconscious, the human spirit, and the unknown. The artist’s approach also reflects the existential paradox of what it means to remain alive – to have survived – following the trauma of the AIDS crisis of the 1980s and ‘90s, when Maloney lost his (then) partner, plus his entire circle of close male friends. Perhaps his work can best be understood as metaphorical dispatches to oblivion – conveyed to those who died too young – to those who left behind grieving lovers and bewildered families. At times, works in the exhibition burst with kinetic energy, while others simmer quietly – depicting human vulnerability, an edgy anxiety, and reflective elegy."
Public programs and audience engagement:
• THE MIRROR: Angles of resistance exhibition e-catalogue available on the CCAS website;
• Exhibition opening event (14 April);
• CCAS Annual General Meeting (19 April);
• Floor talk by curator Mark Bayly on the role of text in Peter Maloney’s practice, and floor talk by Shaune Larkin (Senior Curator, Photography, National Gallery of Australia) on the role of photography in Peter Maloney’s practice (6 May);
• Contemporary Arts Organisations Australia conference (11-12 May);
• Panel discussion with Tony Oates (Acting Director, Drill Hall Gallery) with artists Dionisia Salas and Ruth Waller in conversation with Peter Maloney (3 June).
Vale Peter Maloney, b. 1953 - d. 11 September 2023
Image PETER MALONEY
Electroclash, 2002-12
Acrylic paint on canvas; plywood, electric lead; photographs; photo transfer and collage on paper, dimensions variable
Photo by David Paterson
Image ANGUS McGRATH Eternal Strobing Death performance, as part of Bodies Without Organs, July 2023
BODIES WITHOUT ORGANS
EMMA BEER, KATE BOHUNNIS, BRYAN FOONG, LOTTE FRANCES, LOUIS GRANT, ANNIE PARNELL with ANGUS McGRATH. CURATED BY ANJA LOUGHHEAD
24 June – 12 August 2023
Audience: 2132
Engaging with queer and non-binary artists Bodies without Organs explored how contemporary artists transgress and subvert our understanding of materiality and form. The featured artists from within and outside the ACT intentionally destabilise the traditional codes of abstract painting and sculpture to create works of art that question binary notions of gender, identity, and the body. The exhibition and program of events examined, revealed, and created space to share queer stories through works of art. Loughhead said of the exhibition “in each of their practices, the artists in Bodies without Organs embed themselves and their relationship to ‘being-in-the-world’ throughout the creative process. In essence, their chosen materials are re-materialised through this act of embodiment. They each have their sights on the unknown limit – the organised organism exploded – the desire to obtain a type of body without organs. A desire to change our perception of being in the world.”
Public programs and audience engagement:
• Bodies without Organs exhibition e-catalogue available on the CCAS website;
• Artists talks by Emma Beer, Kate Bohunnis, Bryan Foong, and Lotte Frances, followed by exhibition opening event (23 June);
• Performance by Angus McGrath, as part of the Back and Forth Intergenerational Conversation event (8 July).
• MARION ACT Notable Awards at CCAS (29 June);
Image BODIES WITHOUT ORGANS exhibition installation, 2023
Photo by Brenton McGeachie
Image BACK AND FORTH: AN INTERGENERATIONAL CONVERSATION panel discussion, July 2023
BACK AND FORTH: AN INTERGENERATIONAL CONVERSATION
ALISON ALDER, DEAN CROSS, HAM DARROCH, SASKIA HAALEBOS, ZORA/LINYI PANG, WENDY TEAKEL, WITH RAQUEL ORMELLA AND JANICE FALSONE
8 July 2023
Audience: 72
In this free public forum, artists Alison Alder, Dean Cross, Ham Darroch, Saskia Haalebos, Zora/Linyi Pang and Wendy Teakel discussed what it takes to forge a thriving career in Kamberri/Canberra and how opportunities and challenges have changed over time. This event deepened dialogue and critical engagement within the Kamberri/ Canberra arts community, demystified career development pathways for artists, and reflected on emerging treads and how artists should respond. Facilitated by Janice Falsone (Director, CCAS) with Dr Raquel Ormella (artist, and Senior Lecturer at Australian National University School of Art & Design). The forum concluded with a Q&A session, followed by networking, and was held during CCAS’s Bodies without Organs exhibition and included a live art event by Angus McGrath. Delivered as part of Uncharted Territory, a festival that celebrates creativity, experimentation, and ground-breaking ideas, and in partnership with the ANU School of Art & Design. Early-career curator and arts writer Poppy Thomson was commissioned to write a detailed summary of the event, which features in the Back And Forth: An Intergenerational Conversation e-publication available on the CCAS website.
“…The sold-out forum Back and Forth was held at the Canberra Contemporary Art Space in July 2023, on a day so cold and rainy that possible snow was forecast. Nevertheless, the Kamberri/Canberra arts community did exactly what they have done for decades – they got involved, they showed up… The panel itself may be considered a contribution to the solidarity economy of the Kamberri/Canberra art scene as it opened a collaborative dialogue between creatives within the structure of the institutions which represent them. Following the artistic isolation which afflicted our community during lockdown, it was auspicious timing…” excerpt from Thomson’s event summary
“Ranging from 26 to 66 years in age, artists Alison Alder, Dean Cross, Ham Darroch, Saskia Haalebos, Zora Pang and Wendy Teakel shared what it takes, in their view, to harness opportunities for career development, and how to forge a thriving career in a tight arts community like Kamberri/Canberra, where they have all worked…” excerpt from Gina Fairley’s article Seven career lessons from intergenerational artists published in Arts Hub (20 August 2023)
Image DEAN CROSS Une Tempête, 2012-2022
Charcoal, aerosol and colour photograph on 425gsm Saunders Waterford cold pressed watercolour paper, 76 x 112cm
SAD STATE
DEAN CROSS
26 August – 14 October 2023
Audience: 1612
Sad State presented works concerned with storms, stains and silence. The origins of the exhibition can be found in Stanner's Boyer lecture of 1968, and the shameful truth that his words of over 50 years ago still ring true today. Dean Cross works primarily across installation, sculpture and painting. Interested in the collisions of materials, ideas and histories, Cross is motivated by an understanding that his practice sits within a continuum of the oldest living culture on Earth – and enacts First Nations sovereignty through expanded contemporary art methodologies. His crossdisciplinary practice often confronts the legacies of modernism, rebalancing dominant cultural and social histories.
Public programs and audience engagement:
• Sad State exhibition e-catalogue available on the CCAS website, featuring a commissioned essay by writer, researcher, and artist Lauren Carrol Harris;
• Exhibition opening event (25 August);
• In conversation event with CCAS Director Janice Falsone and artists Dean Cross and Anna Madeleine Raupach (23 September).
“The Sad State essay was phenomenal and really added to the exhibit. It is a rare example of text and context truly enhancing the artwork…”
Visitor feedback
Image DEAN CROSS Sad State exhibition installation 2023
Photo by Brenton McGeachie
SIGNAL TO NOISE
ANNA MADELEINE RAUPACH
26 August – 14 October 2023
Audience: 1612
Signal to Noise was a solo exhibition by Kamberri/Canberra-based multi-disciplinary artist Anna Madeleine Raupach. Raupach engages with ecological and astronomical data to create multimedia installations, mixed reality experiences, and material artworks. Her practice addresses the friction between concurrent technological advance and environmental decline, with a focus on the omnipresence of satellites that both produce and disrupt climate data. The works in Signal to Noise brought together planetary and personal perspectives and materials of crisis and care, to align high-speed living with deep time thinking. The works in this exhibition were created with support from the Capital Arts Patrons' Organisation's 2022 Mandy Martin Art & Environment Award, and the 2022 ANAT Synapse Residency program.
Public programs and audience engagement:
• Signal to Noise exhibition e-catalogue available on the CCAS website, featuring a commissioned essay by Tim Riley Walsh (Assistant Curator at Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney);
• Exhibition opening event (25 August);
• In conversation event with CCAS Director Janice Falsone and artists Dean Cross and Anna Madeleine Raupach (23 September).
Image ANNA MADELEINE RAUPACH Signal to Noise exhibition installation, 2023
Photo by Brenton McGeachie
Image SASKIA HAALEBOS For the Record, 2023 CCAS Member's Showcase Winner
FOR THE RECORD
2023 CCAS MEMBERS’ SHOWCASE
ASHE, UJALA AFTAB, JANE BARNEY, BRIDGET BASKERVILLE, ADAM BELL, ROBERT BOYNES, JOHN BROOKES, BYRD, SARIT COHEN, RACHEL CORSINI, EDDIE, MICHELE ENGLAND, WENDY FAULDER, UK FREDERICK, EMMANUELLA GAMBALE, SASKIA HAALEBOS, NICCI HAYNES, SUSAN HENDERSON, STEVEN HOLLAND, ROSALIND LEMOH, VEE MALNAR, SIMON MELLOR, SHAUN MYLES, REBECCA
SCHAEFER, BENJAMIN SHINGLES
27 – 28 October 2023
Audience: 191
For The Record showcased playful artworks by 25 CCAS members who were inspired by the humble LP, aiming to re-use, re-work, or re-write the record. This one-hit-wonder of an exhibition celebrated our vibrant community while also raising funds to support contemporary arts practice in the Kamberri/Canberra region. Raffle prizes, generously provided by local businesses The Jetty, Eckersley's Art & Craft, and Abell’s Kopi Tiam restaurant, added to the excitement. Local DJ Sam Tingey set the mood with vinyl sets throughout the event. The Winner’s Prize of $500, sponsored by Canberra City Framing Gallery, was awarded to Saskia Haalebos, with a Highly Commended presented to byrd (Dan Maginnity). Waratah Lahy, an artist, arts-worker, and CCAS Board member, served as the guest judge this year. Artworks were available for purchase during the exhibition, and thanks to CCAS’s zero commission policy, artists received 100% of the sale price.
BLAZE
ZEV AVIV, LUCY CHETCUTI, TILLY DAVEY, ISAAC KAIROUZ, SIOBHAN O’CONNOR, GABRIELA RENEE
CURATED BY ALEXANDER BOYNES
4 November 2023 – 27 January 2024 (closed 17 December 2023 – 15 January 2024)
Audience: 2436 (1673 in 2023, and 763 in 2024)
Following a two-year hiatus, BLAZE, CCAS’s well-established emerging artist showcase, returned with renewed enthusiasm - celebrating the current scene and the rising stars. Similar to previous editions, BLAZE highlighted artists connected to Kamberri/Canberra who are at the early stages of their careers and featured bold and provocative artworks. This BLAZE featured six artists working across installation, painting, printmaking, and sculpture. While no grand theme was intended, the works of Zev Aviv, Lucy Chetcuti, Tilly Davey, Isaac Kairouz, Siobhan O'Connor, and Gabriela Renee, collectively explored identity, societal norms, and underrepresented experiences. The exhibition captured a palpable urgency and a feeling of expansiveness, mirroring the difficulties faced by artists during the COVID-19 lockdowns and remote learning. It channelled their reservoir of energy and a burning desire to showcase their potential and connect with the community within the gallery setting.
Public programs and audience engagement:
• BLAZE exhibition e-catalogue available on the CCAS website;
• Artists talks by Zev Aviv, Lucy Chetcuti, Tilly Davey, Isaac Kairouz, Siobhan O’Connor, and Gabriela Renee, followed by exhibition opening event (3 November);
• CCAS up Late to coincide with The Little Burley Markets night market (16 December).
• University of Canberra Creative Writing students’ workshop at CCAS, to develop written works in response to the BLAZE exhibition (17 November), some of which were performed at the Australasian Association of Writing Programs We need to talk conference party at CCAS (30 November);
• Artists’ Rights 101 Arts Law workshop at CCAS (5 December);
Image GABRIELA RENEE (foreground) Ties to My Father...Magē Piyā Saman̆ga Bæn̆dīm, 2023, exhibited in BLAZE, 2023 Mixed media, dimensions variable
Photo by Brenton McGeachie
CCAS MANUKA IS A SITE OF EXPERIMENTATION AND GROWTH, PRESENTING AMBITIOUS PROJECTS BY PREDOMINANTLY EARLY CAREER ARTISTS AND CURATORS, PRIORITISING CANBERRA-BASED PRACTICE.
Image EMEIRELY NUCIFORA-RYAN Processed exhibition opening, CCAS Manuka, 2023
Photo by CCAS
“I felt like the sky was the limit in terms of creative possibilities! I also liked that it was self-directed and you get to take ownership of your exhibition - but I also received great advice from the CCAS team”
Artistic Program, CCAS Manuka
OFF THE LOOM
ROSIE ARMSTRONG & KATE RICE, CURATED BY POPPY THOMSON
3 – 12 February 2023
In this exhibition, emerging textiles artists Rosie Armstrong and Kate Rice took their practice off the loom and into new, experimental realms. Both recent graduates of the ANU School of Art & Design, the artists explore weaving as a foundation for sculptural pieces. In this form, negative space acquires equal authority to physical patterns. Off the Loom was an exhibition about agency and served as the culmination of early-career curator Poppy Thomson's sixmonth internship with CCAS.
Public programs and audience engagement: Exhibition opening event (2 February); Printed catalogue with essay by Poppy Thomson
OCCUPIED
KATE STEVENS
17 – 26 February 2023
A series painted from news photographs of the bombing of Gaza: a paused frame telling a story that relentlessly repeats. The paintings remain focused as the news cycle moves through. This exhibition is of paintings made during Kate Stevens’ first year as recipient of the inaugural Evelyn Chapman Art Award.
Public programs and audience engagement: Exhibition opening event (16 February)
MOVED TO PRINT
NICOLE HENRY, CLAIRE YOUNG, GIANCARLO SAVARIS, ANN WIDDUP, PAMELA MANNING
3 – 12 March 2023
The exhibition marked the culmination of efforts by five Kamberri/Canberra-based artists who convened weekly over several years to delve into the art of printmaking, engaging in discussions on both significant and trivial matters, and enjoying the rewards of sharing a collective passion.
Public programs and audience engagement: Exhibition opening event (2 March)
IDEAS WORTH SHARING
JAMES ROWELL
17 – 26 March 2023
Kamberri/Canberra-based painter James Rowell presented an exhibition of new works on canvas that addressed his concerns for caring for our natural environment, the formal structures of picture making and the underpinning language of painting.
Public programs and audience engagement: Exhibition opening event (17 March)
ALL FOURS
LUCY CHETCUTI
31 March – 9 April 2023
The exhibition explored mark-making techniques, animated surfaces, and celebrated various qualities of line, utilising automatic drawing and monoprinted gestures to create a tension between spontaneity and intention, while works emerged from a compositional prompt of a four-section grid. A 2021 Capital Arts Patrons Organisation All Insure Emerging Artist Award supported the creation of the works in the exhibition.
Public programs and audience engagement: Exhibition opening event (30 March)
TRANSCENDENT FLESH
ZEV AVIV
14 – 23 April 2023
Transcendent Flesh, Zev Aviv's first solo exhibition was an imagining of potential futures, different dimensions, and queer evolution, where the viewer was invited to envisage each the artworks pieces of the artist’s body, removed and tended to before being sent into an alternate world to change, adapt, and grow. This alternate world, a queer utopia, where bodies are sites of joy and transcendence, where bodily self-determination isn’t governed by medical fees, violence, or heteronormativity.
Public programs and audience engagement: Exhibition opening event (13 April)
FIGURE IT!
TILLY DAVEY
28 April – 7 May 2023
An exhibition of paintings and sculptural ceramics exploring human vulnerability and the confrontations with daily struggles, often examining the impact of unequal power dynamics on marginalised groups. Tilly Davey’s multidisciplinary practice encompasses both abstract and figurative works which commonly represent discombobulated forms of the human figure in various landscapes. Figure It! was Davey's first solo exhibition.
Public programs and audience engagement: Exhibition opening event (27 April)
BETWEEN THINGS
JOEL ARTHUR & DIONISIA SALAS
12 – 21 May 2023
Between Things was a dialogue between artists Joel Arthur and Dionisia Salas about painting. Their exchanges, spoken and unspoken, revealed their shared passion for colour, the way shapes and images blend together in transparent layers or thick, waxy strokes, and the lively interplay of complementary colours vying for prominence.
Public programs and audience engagement: Exhibition opening event (11 May); Printed catalogue with essay by artist Emma Beer
BAD VIBRATIONS
FRANCIS KENNA
26 May – 4 June 2023
bad vibrations was a series of material experiments that explored the complexity of perception. Artist Francis Kenna referenced the formal systems of nets and grids as a structural device, to explore how these objects materialise relationships between light, matter, space and perception. Through sculptures and works on paper that reflect, trap and absorb light in different ways, the works in the exhibition proposed a kind of quasi-object that activated the gallery.
Public programs and audience engagement: Exhibition opening event (25 May)
“CCAS
is a great space to test new ideas without the pressure to reach particular outcomes”
INTERSECTIONS
ISOBEL RAYSON & NICK STRANKS
9 - 18 June 2023
An exhibition of new works continuing the artists shared exploration of memory, belonging, and a sense of place to create narratives drawn from personal experiences. Material investigation and process-driven methodologies form the foundation of their individual practices, with evidence of the maker present in much of their works, forming somewhat of a self-portrait.
Public programs and audience engagement: Exhibition opening event (8 June)
BRACE
NATHAN HUGHES
23 June – 2 July 2023
This exhibition embodied Nathan Hughes’ fascination with the poignant absurdities of human hubris/folly in relation to anthropogenic climate breakdown. It articulated multi-modal narratives of personal/collective and ecological grief, where both the medium (brace board panels used in timber frame construction) and the process (instinct/feel over intellect), were integral to the ‘message’. Brace was Hughes' first solo exhibition.
Public programs and audience engagement: Exhibition opening event (22 June)
AFTER THE HIGH FELL
LIZZIE HALL
7 - 16 July 2023
The paintings in this exhibition came after a critical moment of agony in the artist’s life, and they are not like the paintings that came before them. They are not an attack, more an act of self-defence; finding control in the figure, focussing on light and form, repeating the motif, restricting the palette.
Public programs and audience engagement: Exhibition opening event (6 July)
AGGREGATED ADORNMENTS: FROM ROAD TO BODY
KEZIAH CRAVEN
21 - 30 July 2023
Keziah Craven's exhibition of wearable art focused on form and texture, utilising roadside debris gathered from various objects and materials, such as chair parts, tires, tubes, flyscreens, rubber, plastics, fabric, metal, mesh, and glass.
Public programs and audience engagement: Exhibition opening event (20 July)
WASTE NOT: A YEAR’S WORTH OF GARBAGE
YASMIN IDRISS
4 - 13 August 2023
This exhibition represented the culmination of a year's worth of industrial waste collected from just one framing shop. Idriss created a series of sculptural artworks by recycling and upcycling old, broken, or unwanted frames, damaged moldings, and the waste materials produced in the frame making process.
Public programs and audience engagement: Exhibition opening event (3 August)
RETURNING TO LIGHT
YALAN CHEN
18 - 27 August 2023
The first solo exhibition by emerging artist and recent ANU School of Art & Design graduate Yalan Chen, Returning to Light focused on the exploration of human interconnectedness with nature, drawing inspiration from deep ecology theory, Taoism, and panpsychism.
Public programs and audience engagement: Exhibition opening event (17 August)
“The CCAS team were incredibly helpful and made the whole process as stress-free and streamlined as I could imagine. Being my first solo show I couldn’t have asked for better support”
Brennan O’Brien
BRIGHT LANDSCAPE
JESSICA BOCK
1 - 10 September 2023
An exhibition of new work by Kamberri/Canberra-based artist Jessica Bock, exploring the materiality of paint, illustrating layers, colours, movement, and intricacies inspired by geographical features.
Public programs and audience engagement: Exhibition opening event (31 August)
ELM
MAXIMILIAN GOSLING & SOPHIE QUINN
15 - 24 September 2023
Elm showcased the collaborative efforts of artists and former housemates jeweller and printmaker Sophie Quinn and printmaker Maximilian Gosling, delving into the parallels and distinctions between etching and metalworking while examining perspectives. Drawing from their shared living experiences as a metaphor, they explored the convergence of their craft techniques, forging new methodologies and artworks in the process.
Public programs and audience engagement: Exhibition opening event (14 September)
YOU, AS A TRAIN STATION
BRENNAN O’BRIEN
29 September – 8 October 2023
The first solo exhibition by emerging artist and recent ANU School of Art & Design graduate Brennan O'Brien. Inspired by liminal art and surrealist landscapes, O'Brien sought to weave an ethereal tapestry using oil paint and pigment distemper, traversing dreamlike imagery and the inevitable fading of memory.
Public programs and audience engagement: Exhibition opening event and performance by Brennan O’Brien (28 September)
HIT PRINT!
ALISON ALDER with ALEX BEST, KAREN BONDIETTIE, JILL HAYMAN, ARIEL KAUFMAN, MARGARET McEVOUY, MOIRA NELSON, MICHELLE WARBY & HALLAM YOUNG
14 - 22 October 2023
Local screen printer Alison Alder collaborated with eight artists from Hands On Studio in 2022 to develop a series of text-based banners titled HIT PRINT!. This collaborative endeavour enabled the artists to explore the personal impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic through print-based artworks, which were digitally enlarged and featured on four banners. Initially displayed outdoors in the parliamentary triangle as part of a temporary public art activation in 2022, the banners were shown at CCAS Manuka in September as part of a special pop-up exhibition. The creation of the HIT PRINT! works were supported by the Canberra Art Biennial City Commissions and the ACT Government.
UNIVERSE IN DISARRAY: INTERREGNUM – AFTERIMAGE
ROBYN VENEER SWEENEY
27 October – 5 November 2023
This exhibition of work was created to examine outdated utopian visions of what technology could provide to society by referencing minimalist artworks of the mid-20th century, particularly those using the circle, triangle, and square as a representation of the universe.
Public programs and audience engagement: Exhibition opening event (26 October)
RECENT WORK 2021 – 2023
HARIJS PIEKALNS
10 - 19 November 2023
New work by Harijs Piekalns focusing on the wave symbol, which holds significance for various cultures as a representation of water, and carries meaning from the artist’s pre-Christian Latvian heritage as a symbol of maternal earth. Piekalns' artistic approach centres on materiality, with every painting component personally prepared by the artist using Gesso Sottile grounds and earth pigments sourced from various locations in Australia.
Public programs and audience engagement: Exhibition opening event (9 November); Exhibition closing event (19 November)
PROCESSED
EMEIRELY NUCIFORA-RYAN
24 November – 3 December 2023
Processed was the culmination of a seven-month observation of daily practice. On 1 April 2023, Nucifora-Ryan bent, welded, and eventually bombarded the first circle of this show, striving to repeat this practice each subsequent day. The result was over 150 circles displayed in the style of a Gregorian calendar.
Public programs and audience engagement: Exhibition opening event (23 November); Printed catalogue essay by the artist’s partner
TAILINGS
BRIDGET BASKERVILLE
8 – 17 December 2023
This exhibition responds to the relationship between extractive industries and water, by CCAS's 2023 artist-inresidence and recent ANU SOA&D graduate Bridget Baskerville. Tailings, Baskerville’s first solo exhibition, focused on mine tailings dams, using discarded ecological matter from mining as a lens through which to examine the social, ecological, economic and health impacts of extractive industries on regional communities. An artsACT Arts Activities grant supported the creation of the works in the exhibition.
Public programs and audience engagement: Exhibition opening event (7 December); Online exhibition essay by emerging writer Emily April.
ABER DOCH
BYRD (DAN MAGINNITY)
December 2023 – November 2024
Kamberri/Canberra's pre-eminent muralist, and long-term CCAS artist and member, byrd (Dan Maginnity), was selected as the artist for the inaugural CCAS Manuka Mural Project. For the mural byrd employed a blend of transparent and textured layers, intricate patterning, bold lines, vivid colours, and carefully designed repetitions to create a dynamic work that invites repeat viewing and aims to expand the public’s capacity for complexity. The mural serves as a bold introduction to the experimental and speculative art showcased at the gallery. The 2023 CCAS Manuka Mural Project was made possible thanks to the generosity of 40 donors.
Public programs and audience engagement: VIP donor Thank You event, and Mural Launch (7 December)
CCAS Board
AMANDA BIGGS Chair
Amanda brings to the Chairperson role a deep understanding of the visual arts landscape in Canberra, as well is skills in governance, people management, policy analysis and research, program evaluation and report writing. Amanda is a Senior Researcher at the Commonwealth Parliamentary Library, and a champion of the arts. She holds a double major (Hons.) in Fine Arts & English from Flinders University, a Graduate Diploma in Librarianship from UNSW and a Masters of Arts from Deakin University. Amanda has written papers for the Parliamentary Library, and reviews and articles for the CAS Broadsheet and Words and Visions art magazine. Amanda has served on the CCAS Board since 2017.
ADAM PEPPINCK Secretary
Adam is a solicitor with strong legal, governance, business development and management experience. He is partner at Clayton Utz (Real Estate) and has over 20 years' experience advising both public and private sector clients on leasing, divestment, acquisition, and property development matters. Adam is Chair of the ACT Law Society’s Property Law Committee, and member of the Property Council of Australia’s Planning and Residential Committee (ACT division). He is also an elected Councillor of the ACT Law Society Council. Adam has served on the CCAS Board since 2017.
COLLEEN KELLY Treasurer
Colleen is a Certified Practising Accountant with over 25-years’ experience working in public practice accounting firms providing taxation and business advice to clients in a range of sectors. As a Senior Manager at MGI Joyce Dickson, Colleen assists small to medium businesses to achieve their business and financial objectives. Colleen joined the CCAS Board in April 2023, and brings to the Treasurer role considerable financial expertise as well as not-for-profit governance and committee experience.
TINA BAUM Board Member
Tina is from the Gulumirrgin (Larrakia), Wardaman and Karajarri peoples of the Northern Territory and Western Australia with over 30 years’ experience in Australian museums and galleries. Tina is Curator of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art at the National Gallery of Australia, and has previously worked at the Queensland Museum, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, and the National Museum of Australia. Tina is also a Board member of The Arts Law Centre of Australia. Tina has served on the CCAS Board since 2015, and brings to the role significant industry-specific knowledge, as well as indigenous engagement, governance and government funding experience.
WARATAH LAHY Board Member
Waratah is a Canberra-based artist, with a Doctorate of Philosophy (Visual Arts) from the ANU, and is represented by Beaver Galleries. Her work is in private and public collections, including Artbank, the Parliament House Art Collection, Canberra Museum + Gallery, and Bundanon Trust. She is an experienced arts worker, having worked at the ANU School of Art & Design as Outreach Coordinator, managing the Emerging Artist Support Scheme program, and is currently Exhibition Coordinator at Craft + Design Canberra. Waratah re-joined the CCAS Board in April 2023, having previously served on the CCAS board over a decade ago, and brings to the role considerable industry-specific knowledge and networks, communications expertise, and previous board, committee, and patron and sponsorship management experience.
IRENE LEMON Board Member
Irene is Business Development Manager at the ANU First Nations Innovation Hub. As a Creative Industries Specialist and experienced mentor and business advisor, Irene has helped over 1000 creatives and social enterprises with entrepreneurial skills development to enhance sustainability and viability of creative businesses. Irene is also a performing artist, with 20 years’ experience, and brings to the CCAS role significant business development, fundraising, and governance expertise, as well as impact analysis, and cross-artform industry-specific knowledge. Irene joined the CCAS Board in January 2023.
PAUL MAGEE Board Member
Paul brings to the CCAS role communications, strategic planning, management, and governance experience, as well as cross-artform industry-specific knowledge. Paul is Associate Professor in Poetry at the University of Canberra, where he directs one of the university’s five dedicated research centres, the Centre for Cultural and Creative Research (CCCR). A poet and researcher in poetics, Paul has received Arts Victoria, artsACT and Australia Council funding for his verse, as well as securing Australian Research Council and U.K. Research and Innovation grants for his scholarship. Paul studied in Melbourne, Moscow, San Salvador and Sydney, and has served on the CCAS Board since 2012.
GOVERNANCE STATEMENT Declaration of conflicts of interest
CCAS has strict policies in respect to conflicts of interest that require Board members to declare potential conflicts at the beginning of each Board meeting. The Board’s decisions with regard to conflicts of interest are recorded in the minutes of the relevant meeting. Board members are unable to benefit in any way, pecuniary or otherwise, from CCAS programs until one year following their resignation. People employed by CCAS cannot participate in the artistic program, except in exceptional circumstances, which must be approved by the Board.
JANICE FALSONE Director
Janice joined CCAS in March 2022, and brings to the Director’s role a deep passion for contemporary visual art along with extensive experience managing arts organisations. Janice is a values driven and entrepreneurial leader who has served in a range of curatorial and arts management roles in Canberra and Brisbane, including at PhotoAccess (Director, Manuka Arts Centre Manger), ANCA (Gallery Manager), M16 Artspace, Australia Business Arts Foundation, Australian Institute of Architects and QLD Artworkers Alliance.
ALEXANDER BOYNES Curator | Program Manager
Alexander is a curator, arts worker and artist, who joined the CCAS team in 2010. He oversees the delivery of the CCAS program and has curated numerous exhibitions over the past decade, including The Triangle – Political Art in Canberra (2013), 2° Art and Climate Change (2016), Ex Machina (2017), Unfinished Business (2019), Cageworks (2022), Come Back, All is Forgiven (2022), Carbon Neutral (2022), BLAZE (2023) and With Nature (2024).
DAN TOUA Gallery Manger | Associate Curator
Dan is an arts worker and curator. Dan manages the customer facing and administrative functions of CCAS, as well as contributing to the artistic program as Associate Curator. Dan holds a Bachelor in International Relations, a Master of Art Curatorship and a Graduate Diploma in Art History. Dan joined the CCAS team in 2018 and has since co-curated BLAZE 14 (2020) and curated austrALIEN (2021), and Texture (2023).
ALEX ASCH Casual Gallery Installer
BRIDGET BASKERVILLE Casual Gallery Installer
FAY DUFFEY Bookkeeper (until June 2023)
PHILLIP VAN ZOMEREN Bookkeeper (from July 2023)
INDIA FLETCHER Casual Gallery Attendant
HOLLY GEORGE Casual Gallery Attendant
JULIA HIGGS Casual Gallery Attendant
EDELINE OHK Casual Gallery Attendant
POPPY THOMSON Casual Gallery Attendant
SANCHIA TOUA Casual Gallery Attendant
LEAH WALTER Casual Gallery Attendant
NIAMH ARMSTRONG Intern
Thank You
CCAS BOARD
Amanda Biggs (Chair), Ian Whyte (Treasurer until April), Colleen Kelly (from April), Adam Peppinck (Secretary), Tina Baum, Waratah Lahy (from April), Irene Lemon, Paul Magee, Kate Murphy (until April)
CCAS STAFF
Janice Falsone (Director), Alexander Boynes (Curator + Program Manager), Dan Toua (Gallery Manager + Associate Curator), Alex Asch and Bridget Baskerville (Casual Gallery Installers), Fay Duffy and Phillip van Zomeren (Contract Bookkeepers), India Fletcher, Holly George, Julia Higgs, Edeline Ohk, Poppy Thomson, Sanchia Toua and Leah Walter (Casual Gallery Attendants), and Niamh Armstrong (Intern)
ARTISTS & CURATORS (CCAS Lakeside)
Ashe, Ujala Aftab, Alison Alder, Zev Aviv, Jane Barney, Bridget Baskerville, Emma Beer, Mark Bayly, Adam Bell, Jane Bodnaruk, Kate Bohunnis, Robert Boynes, John Brookes, Byrd, Lucy Chetcuti, Sarit Cohen, Rachel Corsini, Dean Cross, Ham Darroch, Tilly Davey, Nadeena Dixon, Eddie, Michele England, Wendy Faulder, Bryan Foong, Lotte Frances, UK Frederick, Emmanuella Gambale, Louis Grant, Saskia Haalebos, Nicci Haynes, Susan Henderson, Steven Holland, Kate Just, Isaac Kairouz, Rosalind Lemoh, Anja Loughhead, Vee Malnar, Peter Maloney, Angus McGrath, Simon Mellor, Shaun Myles, Siobhan O’Connor, Haji Oh, Raquel Ormella, Zora/Linyi Pang, Alia Parker, Annie Parnell, Anna Madeleine Raupach, Gabriela Renee, Rebecca Schaefer, Benjamin Shingles, Wendy Teakel, and Chrys Zantis
ARTISTS & CURATORS (CCAS Manuka)
Alison Alder, Rosie Armstrong, Joel Arthur, Zev Aviv, Bridget Baskerville, Alex Best, Jessica Bock, Karen Bondiettie, Byrd, Yalan Chen, Lucy Chetcuti, Keziah Craven, Tilly Davey, Maximilian Gosling, Lizzie Hall, Jill Hayman, Nicole Henry, Nathan Hughes, Yasmin Idriss, Ariel Kaufman, Francis Kenna, Pamela Manning, Margaret Mcevouy, Moira Nelson, Emeirely Nucifora-Ryan, Brennan O’Brien, Harijs Piekalns, Sophie Quinn, Isobel Rayson, Kate Rice, James Rowell, Dionisia Salas, Giancarlo Savaris, Kate Stevens, Nick Stranks, Robyn Veneer Sweeney, Michelle Warby, Ann Widdup, Claire Young, and Hallam Young
ACT GOVERNMENT
ARTSACT, EVENTS ACT
Minister for the Arts Tara Cheyne MLA, Caroline Fulton, Laurine Kelson, Georgia Hobbs, Sheri Norton, Libby Gordon, Toni Bailey, Mia Ching, Hannah Carrigy, Yolande Norris
AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CREATIVE AUSTRALIA
Adrian Collette AM, Alice Nash, Andrew Donovan, Mikala Tai, Tegan Richardson
Thank You
DONORS
Allison Barnes, Adam Bell, Amanda Biggs, Vivienne Binns, Alexanber Boynes, Leah Bullen, Tom Campbell, Jo Clay, Deb Clark & Gordon Bull, Sarit Cohen, Dörte Conroy, Bronwyn Coupe, Neil Doody, Harriet Elvin, Janice & Joseph Falsone, Denise Ferris, Martin Gascoigne, Helen Gee, Saskia Haalebos, Verity Hawkins, Sam Hemphill & Elyse Maberley, Meredith
Hinchliffe, Martyn Jolly, Colleen Kelly, Waratah Lahy, Rosalind Lemoh, Irene Lemon, Paul Magee, Karina Harris & Neil Hobbs, Raquel Ormella, Elizabeth Paterson, Wendy Rowell, Lucy Stackpool, Dan Toua, Sally Troy, Maryanne Voyazis, Hilary Wardhaugh, David Williams, and Lisa Wilmot.
We also gratefully acknowledge our donors who choose to be anonymous, as well as those who supported our programs through on-site contributions.
SUPPORTERS
Abell's Kopi Tiam, BentSpoke Brewing Co., Canberra City Framing (Michael Cammack), Collector Wines, Eckersley's Art & Craft, The Jetty
NATIONAL CAPITAL AUTHORITY
Sally Barnes, Justine Nagel, Andrew Smith
KINGSTON ARTS PRECINCT
artsACT, Suburban Land Agency, KAP Steering Committee
NETWORK PARTNER
CONTEMPORARY ARTS ORGANISATIONS AUSTRALIA
4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art (NSW), Adelaide Contemporary Experimental – ACE (SA), Artspace (NSW), Australian Centre for Contemporary Art – ACCA (VIC), Blak Dot Gallery (VIC), Centre for Contemporary Photography (VIC), Contemporary Art Tasmania (TAS), Firstdraft (NSW), Gertrude Contemporary (VIC), Institute of Modern Art (QLD) Northern Centre for Contemporary Art (NT), Performance Space (NSW), Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts (WA), West Space (VIC)
CCAS is a proud member of Contemporary Arts Organisations Australia
Image BLAZE opening night, November 2023
Photo by CCAS
CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE
44 QUEEN ELIZABETH TERRACE, PARKES, ACT 2600
TUESDAY - SATURDAY, 11am - 5pm
19 FURNEUAX STREET, MANUKA, ACT 2603
FRIDAY - SUNDAY, 11am - 5pm
ABN: 87 390 438 711
www.ccas.com.au
