News

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.

Amanda Bell is among five artists who will be speaking at the Revealed Artist Talks on Saturday 15 May. Ahead of the event, we chatted to her about the fascinating story behind From our lips, mouths, throat and belly, the blazing pink neon artwork which features in this year’s Revealed Exhibition.

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.