Fremantle Arts Centre (FAC) is excited to host artist Kate O’ Shea as the latest participant in our International Residency Exchange Program, this time in collaboration with the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA).

Join Kate and her collaborator, Erin O’Brien, in a riveting conversation with Ron Bradfield Jr. as they explore Kate’s current project, Mycelium: An Archive of Archives and Archivists. This discussion will weave together a series of interconnected themes and contradictions, unravelling stories of land, diaspora, solidarity networks, collective grief, and the enduring impacts of colonial legacies.

Please note that the studio this talk will take place in is lit with a combination of natural and artificial light. The studio has wood flooring and is wheelchair accessible. If you have any additional access requirements, please email our friendly Reception team at: [email protected]

About the Artists

Kate O’Shea is a socially engaged artist who works across printmaking, archiving, large-scale installation, performance, and publishing. Her collaborative practice is based on building spaces of solidarity and dialogue to explore alternatives to the social relations of capitalism. Recent work includes “Revolutionary Archivists” (2024), commissioned by the Bothy Project and Community Land Scotland. Her 2020–2 residency in Studio 468, St. Andrews Community Centre, Dublin 8, Ireland, marked by Kate’s intersecting art and activism projects, formed a focal point for the publication, How Much Is Enough? Kate O’ Shea & The Just City Residency; Reflections on an embedded practice at the intersection of Art and Activism published by Half Letter Press (Chicago), Common Ground and Create (Ireland)). She is co-founder of the transdisciplinary collective, ‘Broken Fields’, co-founder of independent publishing house Durty Books and co-founder of The People’s Kitchen. 

Erin O’Brien is an urban planner/data analyst with a passion for systems change. Though raised on a farm in the American great plains, she has lived in the heart of city centres most of her adult life. Erin’s professional work at Cork City Council focuses on urban revitalisation and, more recently, ‘green and blue’ infrastructure. In her personal time, Erin has been involved in various community initiatives related to sustainable transport, community growing, and composting. She also has a strong interest in food systems and sits on the Board of Directors for Organic Growers Ireland. Her most recent collaboration with Kate O’Shea was on The People’s Kitchen.

Ron Bradfield Jr is a saltwater man from Bard Country in Broome who grew up in Geraldton. He now calls Whadjuk Boodjar (Perth) his home. As the CYO (Chief Yarning Officer) of Yarns R Us; Ron facilitates cultural conversations across all levels of our communities, helping Australians explore their own personal stories and connection to place. Ron is also a storyteller and artist, having worked in and around the arts across regional and metropolitan WA for 18 years, often supporting the development of artists to strengthen their creative practices.