Inside The Gallery

INSIDE THE GALLERY (AUSTRALIA) - NELSON'S LOSSES DISGUISED AS WINS

Nelson Nghe is a Western Sydney-based artist engaging with a diverse range of media including painting, photo media and assemblage. His practice is characterised by the passionate use of mixed media and playful abstractions to push boundaries and highlight the living experience of gambling harm as an affected other. 

His exhibition LOSSES DISGUISED AS WINS at Firstdraft in Sydney, illuminates the often "invisible" nature of gambling harm, especially its impact on loved ones. Through evocative found objects and images, Nelson reimagines hidden domestic moments, exploring the emotional toll that gambling harm inflicts on those indirectly affected. While substantial research has been conducted on individuals experiencing gambling harm, little attention has been given to its impact on children, who are often silent sufferers.

Nelson’s work amplifies the voices of those who suffer in silence and encourages the audience to challenge the societal structures that enable gambling to flourish and persist.

A transcript of this discussion is available for download here, thanks to the Australian Arts Channel.

If you or someone you know is affected by gambling harm, for assistance visit www.gamblinghelponline.org.au.

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INSIDE THE GALLERY (Australia): ANNE BAMFORD'S CREATIVE VISION

Measuring Australia’s creative world ranking.

An educational futurist and passionate arts educator, Professor Dr Anne Bamford OBE is Director of the International Research Agency, and President of the Education Inspiring Peace Laboratory, and was the former Strategic Education, Skills and Culture Director for the City of London.

In this episode: After 2 decades abroad Dr Bamford has returned to Australia, armed with case studies and data measuring the value of creativity in business, culture, emerging technology and communication. 

A transcript of this conversations is available for download here, thanks to the Australian Arts Channel. 

 

INSIDE THE GALLERY (AUSTRALIA) - COMA'S BIG MOVE

Sydney commercial gallery COMA makes a big move, relocating to a bigger single venue, featuring an enormous exhibition space, viewing rooms across two levels, and onsite storage.

This episode features COMA founder Sotiris Sotiriou speaking about the motivation behind the move, the gallery’s vision for the future, and about choosing Justin Williams for the new space’s inaugural show , titled WAITING FOR LAVENDER, influenced by the birth of the artist’s first child. 

Visit www.comagallery.com

A transcript of the conversation can be downloaded here, thanks to the Australian Arts Channel

INSIDE THE GALLERY (AUSTRALIA) - THE GALLERIST AND THE ARTIST

LON Gallery in Melbourne began as a project space in 2016 based on a non-profit model that primarily supported emerging artists. The gallery established it's formal program in 2019, which provided the opportunity to work with a select number of artists in depth and to foster the critical development of their practices.

At Sydney Contemporary in 2024,  LON gallerist Adam Stone devoted their stand entirely to the work of Devi Seetharam, paintings that reflect a world where men wield the authority to occupy public space, while women are reduced to symbolic figures of beauty and desire.

In this episode, anthropologist and curator Pedram Khosronejad investigates the connection between gallerist and artist, seeking to uncover the unique qualities that draw them together. 

LON Gallery at Sydney Contemporary 2024
Devi Seetharam: Website

A transcript of this conversation is available HERE, thanks to the Australian Arts Channel

 

INSIDE THE GALLERY (Australia) - ATONG ATEM: I CAN'T BE INVISIBLE

"I'm a black woman in the world. Every day when I step outside of my door, I can't be invisible." 

From Tate Modern to the National Gallery of Victoria, Atong Atem has captured the eye of curators, critics and collectors alike as an artist who creates beautifully crafted images that explore family, migration and her South Sudanese heritage.

Her work explores the inherent intimacy of portraiture and photography as well as the role photographers take as story tellers, interrogating photography as a framework for looking at the world and positioning people in it, inviting the viewer to look at them through a surreal and constructed lens.

In this episode, anthropologist and curator Pedram Khosronejad investigates the artist's history, inspiration and projects to come.

A transcript of this conversation is available HERE, thanks to the Australian Arts Channel

Atong's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/atongatem/

MARS Gallery catalogue: https://marsgallery.com.au/atong-atem/

 

INSIDE THE GALLERY (AUSTRALIA) - EMIL CANITA: Art, Sexuality and Consent

"I didn't know being a slut could be a form of art"

Sexuality and gender diversity are not unusual to find within the nature of any artist's work, but perhaps being a result of direct sexual practice is somewhat surprising. Emil Canita was exhibited by MARS Gallery in Melbourne earlier this year, and then later reached a broader audience at Sydney Contemporary.

As a trans Filipino sex worker and artist, Emil navigates the intersection of art, identity, and personal expression. Known for evocative videos, captivating storytelling as you'll hear, and intimate Polaroid captures, Emil's raw, intimate works fearlessly explores the complexity of human connection, love, and desire.

In this very candid but compelling conversation, Adjunct Professor at Western Sydney University, and Curator at the Grafton Regional Gallery, Pedram Khosronejad uncovers the history, motivation, and the vulnerabilities of Emil Canita. 

A transcript of this edition is available HERE, thanks to the Australian Arts Channel.

Emil's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/babydilfx/

MARS Gallery catalogue: https://marsgallery.com.au/28580-2/