News

Surprising encounters, dance floor bangers, lavish cocktails and mind-bending performances. Fremantle Arts Centre’s new art party Leave the Lights On gives revellers the chance to dance, drink and delve into art like never before. With three editions scheduled - Thursday 2 September, Thursday 4 November and Thursday 20 January from 6pm till late - Leave the Lights On invites you to get your up-late culture fix with a stellar roster of local acts, from Bollywood DJs to spoken word poets and all-female percussionists.

Amanda Bell’s From our lip, mouths, throats and belly – one of the standout works at the 2021 Revealed Exhibition – has been acquired by the Art Gallery of Western Australia, the City of Fremantle and Despina and Marcus Canning AM; a momentous achievement for the Bunbury-based emerging artist.

Internationally renowned artist Jacobus Capone will debut Beating Heart – the largest exhibition of his works to date – at Fremantle Arts Centre on 23 July. Incorporating performance, video, installation and works on paper, Beating Heart is a cinematic exploration of human and ecological fragility in an age of increasing anxiety, denial and isolation.

The Archaeology of Loss is Ukrainian-Australian artist Stanislava Pinchuk’s first Western Australian exhibition of her conceptual poetics and engagement with sites of global conflict and catastrophe. Stemming from her experiences of the illegal invasion of Ukraine by Russia, Pinchuk’s practice speaks to personal and collective experiences of cultural displacement while wrestling with history and the material and immaterial costs of conflict.

We are over the moon to announce that Alison Kennedy (VIC) is the winner of the 45th Fremantle Arts Centre Print Award with her exquisite large-scale self portrait ICU, 2019. Made using white ink which has been screen-printed onto industrial acrylic sheeting, ICU explores women's work and the hidden labour of underrepresented groups, while challenging standard tropes of portraiture and representation of self.

Fremantle Arts Centre is on the precipice of an exciting new creative era with the appointment of nationally celebrated curator Glenn Iseger-Pilkington to the role of Curator Visual Arts. Renowned for his deep respect and curiosity for artists, Glenn – a Nhanda & Nyoongar man – brings 15 years’ experience working with First Nations artists across Australia. Chosen following a highly competitive national selection process, FAC Director Anna Reece said Glenn stood out for his bold approach and sophisticated values-led creative ethos.

The Fremantle Arts Centre Print Award – Australia’s longest-running and most prestigious printmaking award – returns in 2021, showcasing works of remarkable breadth and poignancy from emerging, mid-career and cross disciplinary visual artists. After a year’s hiatus due to COVID, the 45th FAC Print Award was welcomed with open arms by the sector, attracting 262 entries from across the country.

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.

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.

Look at Fremantle through the lens of designers who live and create in the port city, in Fremantle Art Centre’s upcoming exhibition DesignFreo: Object, Space, Place. Opening 6:30pm Friday 27 November, the work of some of WA’s finest designers brings into focus the significance of design in our everyday lives and its connection to place and community.