Australian born, London-based multidisciplinary artist Dr Christian Thompson has been announced as the recipient of the $80,000 Mordant Family VR Commission for his proposed work Bayi Gardiya (Singing Desert).
Singing in his traditional Bidjara language, a tongue that has been recognised as extinct, Thompson will invite his audience to walk through the landscape of his childhood in the artist’s first virtual reality piece, which will examine notions of identity, language, place and memory.
Presented by ACMI and the City of Melbourne, the Mordant Family VR Commission is open to mid-career and established visual artists and aims to move gallery-based practitioners into the arresting medium of virtual reality with the intent of encouraging experimentation that will push the limits of technology and engage audiences in new ways.
“The imagination and quality of the proposals we received was extraordinary… Catriona and I are excited by the enthusiasm shown by such an established artist to engage with VR technology to further develop his artistic practice and can’t wait to see the work shown at ACMI, Australia’s only institution dedicated to film and digital culture and art,” said Simon Mordant AM.
In addition to financial support, Thompson will receive expert advice from ACMI in the development phase, as well as a workspace in ACMI’s co-working studio for the screen industries, ACMI X.
This year’s winning commission was selected by a panel of national and international industry experts including Rebecca Coates, Director of the Shepparton Art Museum; leading futurist, author and entrepreneur, Mark Pesce; Director of Cultural Development at Centre Pompidou in Paris, Kathryn Weir; ACMI Chief Experience Officer, Seb Chan; and ACMI Senior Curator Sarah Tutton. The panel was co-chaired by Simon Mordant AM and ACMI CEO and Director Katrina Sedgwick.
Bayi Gardiya (Singing Desert) will be presented to the public and an edition will be added to ACMI’s permanent collection.
Until 2026, Wanneroo Regional Art Gallery will be showing 53 original artworks by one of the most famous artists of the 20th century: Andy Warhol. Andy Warhol ICONS includes famous works such as Elvis (1963), Campbell’s Soup Cans (1968) and Marilyn (1967).
For the 24th Biennale of Sydney, Paris-based Fondation Cartier has commissioned 14 new works by Indigenous artists across the globe, curated by renowned Kuku Yalanji artist, Tony Albert.
From revamped industrial sites to brand new spaces in Sydney, to openings in Adelaide, Melbourne, Cottesloe and Darwin—across Australia there’s a flurry of new and reopening gallery activity.
An exact 360º replica of the Mona Lisa and the largest existing collection of Leonardo da Vinci’s unedited drawings and writings. View, in pictures, how THE LUME Melbourne brings the work of Leonardo da Vinci to life.
This year’s Biennale of Sydney centres the “profound changes of the 21st century” from migration to diaspora to climate change—and how communities show perpetual resilience. From delicate kites to images of nuclear war, here’s our round up of what you can’t miss.
CREATION is a new religion by artist Deborah Kelly, radically rethinking how we collectively come together. Having engaged with communities nation-wide, inviting audiences to dance, sing, listen and perform together, Kelly is now taking CREATION to regional Victoria. Curator Ineke Dane talks with Kelly about why she wanted to start a new religion, and where it will go in the future.
