News

Showing from 25 March until 23 May, Straight Outta Wilurarra at FAC offers a rare glimpse into Aboriginal youth culture in the Western Desert. We speak to Silvano Giordano – Wilurarra Creative’s Director – about desert selfies, life in the outback and the transformative power of storytelling.

What’s the one thing more satisfying than silver smithing your own new pair of earrings? Lathering them in a bright dollop of enamel paint. “Colour has always been a large focus of mine. I strongly believe in dopamine dressing,” says Kate Sale, a celebrated Australian jeweller and tutor of a series of new courses at FAC, focussing on unconventional approaches to contemporary jewellery-making. Kate’s courses are among a swag of new offerings for term two that invite students – from beginners to seasoned visual artists – to explore beyond ‘normal’ approaches to art making. Read on to discover more about the new courses.

As the final days of the season approach for A Forest of Hooks and Nails we caught up with exhibiting artists Phoebe Clarke, Zev Weinstein and Maxxi Minaxi May to learn more about the works they created, and what aspects of Fremantle Arts Centre and exhibition install sparked their curiosity.

In spite of all the challenges of the past twelve months – major events cancelled, strict travel restrictions and art centre closures – WA’s Aboriginal artists continue to create an amazing array of quality artworks, and programs like Revealed, which connect these artists with new audiences, have never been more important. Revealed celebrates the vitality and diversity of Aboriginal artistic practice in Western Australia through an exhibition, online art market and two days of professional development workshops specifically tailored for Aboriginal artists and Art Centre staff.

Angela Ferolla has had a long relationship with Fremantle Arts Centre. She’s been a popular tutor for 15 years – teaching adults and kids a range of textile-related skills from sewing machine basics to screen printing – and has been part of FAC’s install crew for the last two years. For A Forest of Hooks and Nails Angela pays homage to the ancient flora that would have grown on the site we now know as Fremantle Arts Centre before the building was erected.

For this year's Perth Festival FAC presents A Forest of Hooks and Nails, an exhibition of new works which sees FAC's install crew become the artists. Creating new artworks specific to the building's history, architecture and their experiences working behind the scenes, the exhibition is rich and varied.  We're catching up with some of the artists to find out more about their practice, kicking off with Rob Kettels. For A Forest of Hooks and Nails Rob has filled Gallery 3 with 2.5 tonnes of rock salt for his work Mineral Rites, painting out the space with a dreamy pink gradient which we know visitors are going to love.

Fremantle Arts Centre’s 2021 Perth Festival exhibition, A Forest of Hooks and Nails, sees the organisation’s install team, a crew of talented multidisciplinary artists juggling casual work while establishing their own practices, step into the spotlight and present new works which explore FAC’s galleries, iconic building and colourful history with their unique insider knowledge. Opening 6:30pm Wednesday 3 February, A Forest of Hooks and Nails is curated by FAC Install Coordinator Tom Freeman and features ten WA artists working across a variety of media including screenprinting, largescale installation, video and audio work, interactive displays, small sculpture, photography, painting and animation.

Fremantle Arts Centre’s Bazaar, Perth’s highest quality Christmas maker’s market, returns to the port city Friday 4 – Sunday 6 December. In a year where buying local and supporting Western Australian industry has never been more important, Bazaar offers 50 local designers, artists and craftspeople the chance to showcase their wares and connect with the public at the three-day event.

City of Fremantle is delighted to announce the appointment of internationally renowned arts leader Anna Reece as Fremantle Arts Centre Director. Anna will bring her innovative, strategic and dynamic leadership style to FAC. With over 15 years’ experience across the Australian not-for-profit arts and cultural sectors, with a focus in major multi-arts festivals, Anna is highly respected for her commitment to commissioning new Australian work and leading capacity development across the sector.

Following a successful start to the season, Fremantle Arts Centre is excited to announce a brand new batch of Sunday Music acts to round out 2020. November and December highlights include the high pop energy of Soukouss Internationale’s Queency (8 Nov), the jazz and Persian stylings of Kate Pass Kohesia Ensemble (22 Nov), novelist and songwriter Sam Carmody alongside iconic duo The Money War (29 Nov) and Grace Barbé’s (13 Dec) blend of afrobeat, reggae and pop.