BALANCING ACT
2023–24 ANNUAL GRANTS REPORT
The Ian Potter Cultural Trust acknowledges the Wurundjeri people as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we work. We pay our
Cover image: Linda Corazza handbalancing at Petrichor, Melbourne Fringe Festival, August 2022. Image: Kieran McNamara.
WELCOME
Established in 1993 with a remit to encourage the diversity and excellence of emerging Australian artists, The Ian Potter Cultural Trust has assisted the professional development of over 1,900 individuals through grants totalling more than $13.2 million. The Trust’s grants support talented artists to undertake professional development opportunities overseas including research, study, training and learning from peers and leaders in their field to advance their artistic practice. The Trust funds nationally from visual to performing arts, music to literature, multimedia to design; spanning traditional art forms through to experimental mediums.
In addition to professional development grants for individual artists, the Trust has funded several significant arts commissions which have included sculpture, music (composition) and moving image art.
From 2024, the Trust has begun to collaborate with leading Australian arts organisations to provide fellowships, the first being the Ian Potter Emerging Performers Fellowship Program in collaboration with the Australian National Academy of Music (see page 8). Also commencing in 2024 are the Ian Potter Creative Fellowships in conjunction with the Sidney Myer Fund (see page 7).
FUNDING PRINCIPLES
– The Trust’s funding is governed by a commitment to excellence. We support individuals who are passionate about their work and have the potential to be outstanding in their field in an international context.
– The Trust seeks to encourage diversity, distinction and opportunity for Australian emerging and mid-career artists.
WHO DO WE SUPPORT?
– The Trust assists emerging, early-career and mid-career artists.
– The Trust supports applicants support applicants who can demonstrate both initiative and exceptional talent together with an ability to convert their ambitions into reality.
Sir Ian Potter, Founder 1902–1994.
TRUSTEES
Mr Leon Davis AO
Professor Karen Day AM
Professor Emma Johnston AO
Professor Richard Larkins AC
Mr Allan Myers AC, KC
Mr Craig Drummond (CHAIR, COMMENCED APRIL 2024)
Lady Potter AC, CMRI
Mr Anthony Burgess Sir Edward Byrne AC (RETIRED JUNE 2024)
The Hon Alex Chernov AC, KC
The Hon Susan Crennan AC, KC
Professor Brian Schmidt AC
STAFF
Paul Conroy
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Louise Joel PROGRAM MANAGER
Paula Cruz Manrique PROGRAM OFFICER
Coral East
ADMINISTRATION & HR MANAGER
Sue Wilkinson
ADMINISTRATION OFFICER
Sara Hearn COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER
Bianca Suparto
COMMUNICATIONS & ENGAGEMENT COORDINATOR
Anna McCallum
CHIEF FINANCE OFFICER
Viktoria Kritharelis FINANCE OFFICER
Nicole Hunter OFFICE COORDINATOR
FRONT (L-R): Sara Hearn, Louise Joel, Paul Conroy, Coral East, Nicole Hunter. REAR (L-R): Bianca Suparto, Paula Cruz Manrique, Anna McCallum, Viktoria Kritharelis. Image: Hynesite Photography.
CHAIR’S REPORT
Craig Drummond
I am pleased to present my first Chair’s report for the Trust, having taken up the role in April 2024.
Along with my fellow Trustees, I wish to acknowledge Charles Goode’s 30+ years of faithful service to the Trust since its establishment. During his tenure, Charles has made an invaluable contribution to the Trust and the broader Australian arts sector.
The Trust was established in 1993 to fill a funding gap in the Australian arts sector. Prior to its formation, Sir Ian Potter himself was an active supporter of the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust (AETT), an independent, not-for-profit organisation that gave funds directly to individual artists. Indeed, Sir Ian’s involvement in AETT inspired the way the Trust operates.
The Trust began by supporting music and the performing arts and has gradually expanded to encompass a wide variety of practices, including design and heritage conservation. Yet one thing that has not changed is the continuous commitment to supporting Australian artists in developing and honing their practice.
In 2022, the Trust underwent an external evaluation, which provided new insights into the impact of past grants on recipients and examined whether there were other opportunities to assist artists and arts practitioners. The conclusion was that there was a need to support artists beyond the early stages of their careers and for a longer term. So, I am proud to announce that we have addressed this need through the creation of two new Fellowship programs.
In collaboration with the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM), we have introduced the Emerging Performers Fellowship, which allows two exceptional ANAM alumni to each receive $100,000 from the Trust and access to specialised mentoring from ANAM across two years.
This year, we also joined the Sidney Myer Fund’s long-standing Creative Fellowships program. Intended for mid-career artists, the Ian Potter Creative Fellowships will provide unrestricted grants of $200,000 over two years to two individual Australian creatives.
Congratulations to our 81 new Emerging Artist Grant recipients for FY24, who have been able to embark on professional development opportunities worldwide and are at the heart of what the Trust is about: upholding the vibrancy of the country’s arts and cultural sector.
Craig Drummond
GRANTS BY DECADE
$3,446,712
$5,445,143
$3,507,976 TOTAL
$13.2M+
“I am honoured to have served my role of Chairman for so long. Individual artists are the essential building blocks of our arts culture and the Trust’s model of support for artists remains unique. As we move into the middle of the Trust’s third decade, we remain committed to this approach and look forward to continuing the journey with all our grantees: past, present and future.”
Charles Goode AC
Charles Goode AC and Craig Drummond at Mr Goode’s retirement dinner in April 2024.
FACTS & FIGURES
GRANTS OVERVIEW
DEVELOPMENT PROJECT COUNTRIES
In 2023–24, the Trust saw a 56% increase in applications for the Emerging Artist Grants. Out of the 309 applications, 81 artists were awarded grants that will allow them to undertake professional development opportunities from a diverse range of institutions across the world. From a visual arts residency in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, to a series of dance workshops across Europe, these grantees will learn new skills, forge new artistic connections and gain more expertise in their respective arts practice.
BALANCING ACT
This year, the Trust has supported emerging and mid-career artists in undertaking diverse professional development opportunities to gain new skills, expertise and networks.
The arts sector is a precarious one – and artists often find themselves undertaking income-generating activities that pull them away from developing their artistic practice.
Year after year, we see grantees express gratitude upon receiving a grant from the Trust, as it gave them the time and security to explore and enhance their artform, art practice and themselves.
In a 2022 external review of the Trust, surveyed grantees consistently mentioned a need for mentorships, financial support, time and resources to develop their practice, as well as the development of business skills.
The Trust is committed to supporting Australian artists, so we sought to address the financial and time constraints artists face to allow them the freedom to create without having to worry about how their bills would get paid.
To realise this commitment, the Trust has introduced two Fellowship initiatives in partnership with established institutions within the arts sector.
The first of these new initiatives is the Ian Potter Emerging Performers Fellowship for recent graduates of the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM).
The second initiative is the Ian Potter Creative Fellowships, made in collaboration with the Sidney Myer Fund.
Both Fellowships provide financial support and mentorship support, and are not tied to a specific outcome at the end of their Fellowship – enabling artists to just be artists.
IAN POTTER CREATIVE FELLOWSHIPS
OUTSTANDING TALENT EXCEPTIONAL COURAGE
The inaugural Ian Potter Creative Fellowships were launched in 2024 to provide life-changing support to outstanding Australian creatives.
In 2024, the Trust joined the Sidney Myer Fund to support individual Australian artists, creatives and cultural leaders through the appointment of Creative Fellows. The Trust will award two Ian Potter Creative Fellowships annually.
First awarded by the Sidney Myer Fund in 2011, the Creative Fellowships provide unrestricted, tax-free grants of $200,000 over two years to individual Australian creatives. Specific outcomes for the Fellowships are not required, giving Fellows freedom over their creative practice and allowing them to spend their grants as they see fit.
The Fellowships are intended for individuals who are at least seven years into their creative practice. Based on a nomination process, the Fellowships are open to individual artists, creators and cultural leaders throughout the spectrum of the arts.
The two criteria used to select Fellows are outstanding talent and exceptional courage. Specifically, this talent and courage relate to the nominee’s creative practice – commonly illustrated through artistic challenges, daring innovation, breaking new ground, and redefining the possible.
The value, criteria and structure of the Ian Potter Creative Fellowships match those of the Sidney Myer Creative Fellowships and will be determined as part of the same selection process. With a total annual budget of $2 million, all ten Fellowships will be selected from the same pool of nominations.
The first two recipients of the Ian Potter Creative Fellowships will be announced in early 2025.
IAN POTTER EMERGING PERFORMERS FELLOWSHIPS
The Ian Potter Emerging Performers Fellowship Program is a joint initiative created by the Trust and the Australian National Academy of Music.
The Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM) is dedicated to training the most exceptional young classical musicians. It is internationally renowned as the only purely classical music performance training academy in Australia, and one of few in the world. ANAM alumni are found in many of the world’s leading orchestras and ensembles, and ANAM’s intensive schedule brings together a global network of artists and performers who provide invaluable mentorship and guidance for emerging young musicians through public performances, in-residence master classes and other programs.
This collaborative endeavour is designed to support ANAM alumni in pursuing independent musical performance careers. The Fellowship seeks to address a growing challenge faced by the classical music sector and independent performing artists – a lack of support for musicians whose professional aspirations are not met by a traditional orchestral career.
The Ian Potter Emerging Performers Fellowship Program will award two Fellowships annually until 2028, for a total of ten Fellowships. Each Fellow will receive $100,000 from the Trust and tailored mentoring support from ANAM over two years.
“In chamber music, and especially for a string quartet, Australia’s relationship to the international community needs to stay informed, relevant and well-represented so that we can shape something enduring and inspiring as Australian musicians. Musicians rely on skilled managers and administrators, and we often take their work for granted. A string quartet’s success relies at least 50% on what happens before and beyond the concerts themselves.” – Mee Na Lojewski
“It’s hard to articulate the significance that the Ian Potter Emerging Performers Fellowship will have for my career, work, and life. The financial support it provides is a true gift – it will allow me to dedicate the time, energy, and resources to my creative work that until now, I thought was a pipe dream. The guidance of mentors through this largely self-directed process will be invaluable, and I am so excited to learn from them. To be given the time and space to dream and work over the next two years, knowing that I have the support of this Fellowship as well as my mentor, is an overwhelming joy.” – Katie Yap
MEE NA LOJEWSKI
affinityquartet.com.au
Mee Na Lojewski is a cellist and the Founder and Director of Affinity Quartet, an acclaimed string quartet based in Melbourne. Through this Fellowship, Lojewski is working to increase her professional opportunities through the Affinity Quartet and expand recognition of Australian chamber music locally and internationally. Lojewski is being mentored by Megan Steller, a UK-based Australian arts agent and writer. Steller’s international agency perspective has informed Lojewski’s creative direction of Affinity Quartet.
Lojewski spoke about her ambitions for Affinity Quartet, saying, ‘My dream is to build a successful professional string quartet that sustains a long and rewarding career. My practice involves developing the quartet’s programs, advocating for its future, and researching to better understand the chamber music ecosystem around me in Australia. I hope to contribute to the history of string quartet playing in Australia and to cultivate a wider appreciation for this art form.’
KATIE YAP
katieyap.com
Katie Yap is a violist, curator and composer based in Hobart whose performance practice spans modern classical, contemporary and historically informed baroque music. Yap is a core member of several chamber music groups, including Van Diemen’s Band, Wattleseed Ensemble, Croissants & Whiskey, and the Gryphon Baryton Trio.
The Fellowship has helped Yap take on new opportunities, such as moving to Hobart to work more closely with Van Diemen’s Band as a performer and Artistic Coordinator. She is also using the Fellowship to continue honing her craft on the viola and viola-adjacent instruments, such as viola d’amore, nyckelharpa and Hardanger fiddle.
Through the Fellowship, Yap is being mentored by Michaela Coventry, a creative producer whose experience spans 25 years across many art forms. ‘With her, I hope to gain insight and skills in crafting a sustainable rhythm and direction for my career, knowing when to say yes and when to say no, and developing advocacy and communication skills,’ says Yap.
Fellow Mee Na Lojewski. Image: Alfredo Casarola.
Fellow Katie Yap. Image: Grant Leslie.
COMMUNITY ARTS
NIYANTA SHARMA
www.playte.org
Niyanta Sharma is a multidisciplinary artist and architectural designer whose practice centres around connection and community. Her works are often rooted in nostalgia, evoking ‘home’ as both a physical space and a feeling.
Fusing her architectural background with her interest in gastronomy, Sharma’s work highlights the body as a dynamic feature of physical spaces and uses the temporality of food to reimagine architecture’s static nature. Sharma is also one half of the artistic duo Playte, which uses local foods as a material to create eatable sculptures.
Supported by an Emerging Artist Grant, Sharma undertook a self-structured residency at the House of Annetta in London, enabling her to refine her practice.
“The grant gave me the opportunity to give myself time to step back and see the threads between different aspects of my practice. To understand the intersection between art and architecture broadly, and how community, home and food intertwine the two together.”
Through her residency, Sharma has expanded her artistic opportunities and community networks. House of Annetta’s location in the Whitechapel District of London also allowed Niyanta to be immersed in the sounds and smells evocative of her Indian heritage. India seems to be where Sharma has set her sights in the future.
“I realised I want to work on a creative project in India, creating around family and further connecting to my roots. Most of my practice is drawn from nostalgia, particularly my childhood memories in India, but I want to create new memories and collaborate with creatives in India.”
Niyanta Sharma with floral installation at Playte event. Image: Karolina Burlikowska.
REMY PAJACZKOWSKIRUSSELL
NSW
remypr.com
Remy Pajaczkowski-Russell is a Sydney-based artist. Working primarily with clay, he often uses recycled and foraged materials to imprint the world around him into his work.
Pajaczkowski-Russell received a grant from the Trust, which allowed him to undertake an internship program at Apparatu, a ceramic design studio based in Barcelona, Spain.
“My experience at Apparatu was incredible. It introduced me to a way of working with ceramics that I had never thought about before; it expanded and opened my mind to the possibilities of clay and allowed me to unlearn the restrictions of this medium.”
During the six months he spent at Apparatu, PajaczkowskiRussell was involved in various projects, each of which taught him new technical skills. For example, he learned carpentry to construct timber moulds to support the ceramic furniture pieces Apparatu created for the luxury French fashion house LEMAIRE.
Since returning from Spain, Pajaczkowski-Russell has continued to advance his professional development. In September, he undertook a month-long residency at Burnt Dirt in Wollongong, during which he synthesised the skills he learned at Apparatu into his own practice.
“Receiving the [grant] meant that I could pursue a longheld dream to learn from artists at the forefront of ceramic object design globally. [It] gave me security and peace of mind so that I could dedicate myself wholly to my work with Apparatu and learning from the artists and designers who work there.”
Remy Pajaczkowski-Russell at Apparatu. Image: Jara Varela.
ROBERT ALEJANDRO TINNING
NSW
Robert Alejandro Tinning is a dancer and emerging choreographer. His practice revolves around exploring themes of Afro-Futurism, the Afro-Latin Diaspora, and selfdetermination in contemporary dance. Drawing inspiration from prolific writers like James Baldwin, Claudia Hernández and Maya Angelou, Tinning’s dance practice is rooted in storytelling.
Tinning is no stranger to travel, having toured with several dance companies nationally and internationally, including STRUTDance, Tasdance, the Stephanie Lake Company, Shaun Parker and Company, Jukstapoz, and the Australasian Dance Collective.
This time, Tinning commenced his own travel to further develop his artistic practice. Supported by the Trust, he undertook a residency opportunity at the Sacatar Foundation in Salvador, Brazil. The residency allowed him to immerse himself in creative research in a cultural environment that reflected his Afro-Latin heritage.
“Due to the nature of my Australian-Ecuadorian heritage, I stand out both here in Australia and in my birth town of San Lorenzo, Ecuador. I felt quite weird during the first two weeks of my fellowship and couldn’t figure out why until I realised that, at 29 years old, it was the first time I had ever blended into society.”
After eight weeks at Sacatar, Tinning went on to New York to undertake mentorships with Vive, a local choreographer and dance artist, and Jonathan Hollander, the founder of Battery Dance.
With the relationships built in Brazil and the US, he already has plans in motion to conduct further research into the Afro-Latin Diaspora by retracing its origins along Africa’s western coast.
Robert Alejandro Tinning. Image: Raimond de Weerdt.
DESIGN
JESSIE FRENCH
VIC
jessiefrench.com
Art, sustainability and technology meet to form the core of Jessie French’s artistic practice. French’s work is focused on moving away from petrochemical materials in arts, in favour of the algae-based plastics she developed.
French’s design studio, Other Matter, focuses on developing real-world applications for her algae-based plastics. Other Matter is a site of production and research, which she conducts in collaboration with various partners.
‘These collaborations are vital, providing both the empirical backbone to our material innovations and a critical external perspective on our environmental claims,’ says French.
This quest for collaboration led French to undertake a series of residencies, allowing her to establish new connections in London, Maastricht and Berlin.
In Berlin, French worked with Kim Kraczon, a conservator of modern materials and an expert in sustainable art practices. This gave French new insights into the integration of new materials in European art and design. In Maastricht, French expanded her material research by collaborating with Giulia Bellinetti, the coordinator of Jan van Eyck Academy’s Future Materials Lab. In London, she completed a residency with ASSEMBLE. Facilitated by architect and artist Maria Lisogorkaya, this residency gave French an introduction to the world of sustainable community architecture and broadened her professional networks.
“[This experience] has fortified my practice, expanded my global perspective and network, and underscored the importance of international engagement in fostering sustainable creative practices.”
Jessie French in the studio. Image: Pier Carthew.
NADIA MAHJOURI
TAS
nadiamahjouri.com.au
Nadia Mahjouri is a Moroccan-Australian novelist and writer. Mahjouri’s work investigates the nuance of diverse women’s lives, with a particular interest in exploring experiences of motherhood, identity and belonging.
Supported by an Emerging Artist Grant, Mahjouri undertook a Writing Masterclass with award-winning historical fiction writer Maggie O’Farrell at Silk Road Slippers in Marrakesh, Morocco. The Masterclass included workshops on dialogue, voice, story and structure, creative practice, drafting and redrafting. Masterclasses like these allow writers to receive personalised feedback, which is invaluable to emerging novelists like Mahjouri.
After completing the course, Mahjouri stayed in Morocco to research her historical fiction novel set in Marrakesh.
‘Experiencing the sounds, sights and smells of those locations is an invaluable form of firsthand research – feeding the imagination and allowing me to truly visualise what it may have been like to have been present in the time and place my novel brings to life,’ says Mahjouri.
Mahjouri’s debut novel, Half Truth, is inspired by her own life and will be published by Penguin Random House in February 2025. Set between Morocco and Tasmania, the novel tells the story of two mothers searching for the same man, Ahmed, an absent father and a missing son.
“Receiving the Emerging Artist Grant is incredibly exciting and feels like a vote of confidence in the quality of my writing and in my potential to create important and meaningful work that will impact the Australian literary landscape.”
Nadia Mahjouri. Image: Zoe Rose.
MUSIC IMOGEN FERDINANDO
QLD
Imogen Ferdinando is a Sri Lankan-Australian composer, cellist and educator whose works have been performed in Australia and internationally. Her compositional practice draws inspiration from emotive narratives that explore the human condition. Ferdinando’s experience ranges from chamber and orchestral works to film scores and orchestrations for popular music artists.
With the Emerging Artist Grant, Ferdinando undertook the Composition Program at Cortona Sessions for New Music. Based in the Netherlands, Cortona Sessions offer intensive summer courses dedicated to exploring contemporary classical and new music through collaboration between emerging composers and performers.
The course enabled Ferdinando to push her classical musical boundaries and allowed her to workshop a new composition, which had its world premiere during Cortona Sessions’ concert series.
“What will stick with me forever is the invaluable mentorship I received from the Cortona Sessions’ composition faculty, Dr Tina Tallon and Anthony R. Green, and the time spent alongside other emerging artists creating music and exploring our musical voices as composition and performance fellows. While it was only a short time spent in the Netherlands, the impact it has had on my compositional practice is immeasurable.”
Since taking on this learning opportunity, Ferdinando plans to continue seeking professional growth opportunities and pursue more festival programs in the future.
“As an emerging composer, this financial support enables me to continue developing my craft in an international setting and contribute to Australia’s growing contemporary classical and new music scene.”
Imogen Ferdinando. Image: Annabel Hendrie.
MUSIC JEREMY SEGAL
WA
jeremysegal.net
Jeremy Segal’s career revolves around sound. His musical practice spans from playing in bands to working as a recording and mixing engineer. Recently, Segal has been working with sound in other contexts, including experimental radio and multimedia installation.
Segal was awarded an Emerging Artist Grant to undertake a Master of Sound Studies and Sonic Arts at Berlin University of the Arts (UdK Berlin) in Germany. UdK Berlin’s interdisciplinary program allowed Segal to have a well-rounded curriculum that oscillated between creative practice, coursework and theory.
Segal speaks highly of the program, ‘It has allowed me to meet some really interesting and inspiring people and to study things I might not have imagined studying before –Sonic Archaeology, for example.’
Moving to Germany has opened new pathways for Segal beyond his studies. He has since co-created an online radio show called Soundplant Datamind, which deep dives into film excerpts, voice memos, and anything else that can be stored as an audio file.
In October, Segal undertook a residency at spudWORKS in Hampshire, England. This residency allowed Segal to create sonic maps of the forest with field recordings and short-range FM radio transmitters.
“Receiving the Emerging Artist Grant has allowed me to focus on my creative practice and artistic interests in a dedicated and purposeful way. On the one hand, I’ve been able to expand my practice into exciting new areas, and on the other, I’ve been able to consolidate previously disparate areas of my practice.”
Jeremy Segal. Image: Courtesy of the artist.
SPARSH AHUJA
sparshahuja.com
Sparsh Ahuja is a multimedia artist of Indian heritage whose work focuses on culture and politics in Asia, primarily using animation and documentary. Ahuja’s practice is best embodied in Child of Empire, his animated virtual reality documentary that follows the childhood memories of two survivors from the Partition of India and Pakistan.
For years, Ahuja recorded stories from survivors and found the places his subjects mentioned as sites of emotional significance. Working with a team of cross-border filmmakers, he created bespoke virtual reality experiences so that the survivors could have one last chance to see their homes again.
Australia’s up-and-coming animation scene motivated Ahuja to see how he could borrow knowledge from a country with a more established film industry. He spent four months in the seaside town of Montpellier, southern France, working with the production studio Les Films d’Ici Méditerranée, under the mentorship of lead producer Serge Lalou.
Ahuja learned how French films are assessed by different funding and distribution platforms and the various business strategies required to keep an independent studio afloat.
“The French system encourages a different style of writing to pitch a film successfully. I was lucky to spend time workshopping some of my own future projects with Serge, where he advised me how to adapt impact plans, stories and my own narrative process in case I wanted to co-produce with France in the future.”
Ahuja is keen to take on this co-production opportunity and is exploring potential subjects for new films that would excite both Australian and French audiences.
Sparsh Ahuja. Image: Maleeha Wani.
PERFORMING ARTS
LINDA CORAZZA
VIC
Linda Corazza is a contemporary circus artist specialising in the acrobatic art of hand balancing – the practice of holding an inverted body shape using the hands and arms as the main support.
Having graduated from the National Institute of Circus Arts, Corazza has achieved Australia’s highest qualification in the art form and is determined to advance her practice abroad.
Corazza was awarded a grant that enabled her to travel to Montreal, Canada, to undertake a mentorship in hand balancing with The 7 Fingers, a company renowned for challenging the norms and traditions of circus artistry. Linda was mentored by world-class circus artist and founder of The 7 Fingers, Samuel Tetreault.
In acrobatics, it is crucial to work with a quality trainer to ensure that the artist’s technique remains precise – not only for skill and aesthetics, but also for the safety of the performer and longevity of their practice.
“Very few individuals globally have mastered this form, as it takes many years of intense study and access to specialist trainers. This mentorship represents the most advanced hand balancing training internationally, an opportunity to surpass my current technical and artistic skill levels by learning from a master of the art.”
“Australian audiences rarely see international skills in circus art, and they deserve to be awe-struck with the current techniques and diverse trends that are out there. I aspire to perform and tour at an international standard of hand balancing, as well as being able to coach future generations to this standard.”
Linda Corazza handbalancing performance. Image: Rob Blackburn.
VISUAL ARTS
TRUC TRUONG
SA
tructruong.com
Truc Truong is a visual artist working in portraiture, assemblage and installation. Her work is inspired by postcolonialism and her Vietnamese heritage, and her practice is rooted in play and animism. This is reflected in her manipulation of everyday objects to explore themes of power, identity, family, assimilation and displacement.
With support from the Trust, Truong undertook a workshop and research development opportunity at SoulFas in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam – a local supplier and manufacturer of props for traditional Vietnamese lion dancing.
While Truong has experimented with lion heads in Australia, she was determined the learn the traditional way of making them in Vietnam.
Guided by Mentor Minh of SoulFas, Truong learned more than just technical skills. ‘Brother Minh introduced me to his whole family and their way of life. He gave me valuable advice on the importance of community, family, and giving back to others. He taught me to value the work as a spiritual connection rather than a monetary pursuit.’
“This experience helped me understand my own work better. Despite being taught a minimalist, Eurocentric approach in art school, I’ve always felt a strong pull towards using intense colours, which often left me confused and even embarrassed when questioned by curators. However, being in [Nha Lon Long Son] temple made me realise that my ancestors might be guiding me. Their influence is alive in my art, and this visit helped me appreciate and embrace my colourful style, recognising its value and connection to my heritage.”
Truc Truong with ‘I Pray You Eat Cake’ (2023), installation in Primavera 2023: Young Australian Artists, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Sydney. Image: Jay Patel.
GRANTEES 2023–24
COMMUNITY ARTS
Niyanta Sharma
CRAFT
Mikaela Earnshaw
$15,000
$7,746
Remy Pajaczkowski-Russell $13,340
Zhu Ohmu
$15,000
DANCE
Avalon Ormiston
Baden Hitchcock
Bhenji Ra
Gemma Sattler
Kade Power
Molly McKenzie
Robert Alejandro Tinning
Siobhan Lynch
DESIGN
Jessie French
Leitu Bonnici
$10,500
$5,000
$14,007
$5,500
$8,258
$5,500
$15,000
$14,390
LITERATURE
Hannah Wu
Isabella Trimboli
Mia Francesca Michelle Mcauslan
Nadia Mahjouri
Panda Wong
MULTIMEDIA
Henry Pyne
Keva York
Lilah Benetti
Lucy Davidson
Sam Mcgilp
Sophie Seyd
Sparsh Ahuja
MUSIC CLASSICAL
Anthony Chan
Bernice Chua
Billie Tumarkin
$15,000
$15,000
Caitlin Benz
Christian Li
Daisy Wong
Emily Su
$5,896
$11,814
$7,000
$12,000
$6,516
Felix Pascoe
Fiona Qiu
Francesca Masel
Harrison Swainston
$15,000
$15,000
$15,000
$15,000
Huon Bourne Blue $15,000
Imogen Ferdinando
$5,172
Jackie Wong $15,000
Leah Phillips
$13,224
$10,974
$14,503
$15,000
$13,224
$15,000
$10,670
Michael Dimovski
Pavle Cajic
Rachael Kwa
$8,700
$10,000
$15,000
$15,000
Shuhei Lawson $15,000
Stefan Grant $15,000
Stephanie Dillon $7,320
MUSIC CONTEMPORARY
Ayda Akbal
$15,000
$15,000
$15,000
$15,000
$15,000
$15,000
$15,000
$15,000
Ceridwen McCooey $15,000
Claire Cross $5,500
Jeremy Segal $15,000
Lisa Lerkenfeldt $8,323
Rebecca Bracewell $4,500
Tiana Naug $8,713
Yasmin Sharaf $12,034 PERFORMING ARTS
Anisa Nandaula $15,000
Ben Walter $12,609
Connor Sweeney $6,179
Daniel Ball
$8,601
Genevieve Papadopoulos $11,000
Joshua Belperio $15,000
Linda Corazza $13,000
Maki Morita $6,806
Shahmen Suku $15,000
Su Hee Cho
Allison Chhorn
Anador Walsh
Anna Seymour
Angie Pai
Beth Maslen $15,000
Ella Dunn $10,224
Hana Earles $15,000
Jenna Lee
Jennifer Tarry-Smith
Julien Comer-Kleine
$6,235
$15,000
$4,200
Lorna Quinn $15,000
Nicole Thomson $13,770
Tia Madden $7,000
Tinieka Page $12,925
Truc Truong $9,903
Victoria Pham
$15,000