Briony Downes

Writer

Briony Downes is an arts writer based in Hobart. She has worked in the arts industry for over 20 years as a writer, actor, gallery assistant, art theory tutor and fine art framer. Most recently, she spent time studying Art History through Oxford University.

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The renaissance of clay

Why is clay suddenly everywhere in galleries? Intimately entwined in our everyday lives, there are currently multiple clay-centered shows happening across the country—dealing with everything from feminism to form.

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Catherine Opie both captures and unpacks identity and humanity

Since the 1990s, American photographer Catherine Opie has been internationally renowned for capturing friends and family, queer domestic life, and defining political moments. Entwining identity and sexuality, kinship and community, Opie’s first Australian survey is at Heide Museum of Modern Art.

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Two artists capture different sides of the Australian landscape

Sonia Leber and David Chesworth recently travelled through the Northern Territory with a team of earth scientists, under the guidance of local Indigenous leaders—and they recorded and filmed what they saw.

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Adrienne Doig taps into her inner goddess

After visiting archaeological museums in Syracuse, Adrienne Doig began creating doll-like, textile figures of herself reimagined as a goddess—which are now showing at Martin Browne Contemporary.

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The theatrical botanicals of Valerie Sparks

Hobart-based photographic artist Valerie Sparks creates visually immersive installations inspired by 19th century French scenic wallpaper and the work of female botanical artists, which are now showing at Bett Gallery.

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Teho Ropeyarn creates lines of connection

With a poignant blend of traditional culture and contemporary aesthetics that’s seen his printmaking in the 2022 Biennale of Sydney and Tarnanthi Festival, Teho Ropeyarn’s latest work looks at his mother’s story—and is showing for The National.

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Porcelain and sound waves: challenging the parameters of textiles

Porcelain and sound waves do not immediately come to mind when thinking about textiles, yet these are the materials some artists are using to produce their textile-based work. Casting a wide net for Pliable Planes at Ballarat Art Gallery, co-curators Karen Hall and Catherine Woolley specifically looked for artists whose practice expanded the creative parameters of contemporary textiles.

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Dawn Beasley’s ceramic gardens travelling through the Northern Territory

Darwin-based artist Dawn Beasley uses nature as a reference point for her ceramic sculptures. The third instalment in her series, Botanically Porcelain, is coming to the Northern Centre for Contemporary Art.

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Robyn Bischoff’s exploration of colour and hue

“She hasn’t gone to art school or locked herself into a style. She has used painting, drawing, ceramics and even performance to explore different ideas relating to her engagement with the world.” Robyn Bischoff’s latest abstract works are showing at Bunbury Regional Gallery.

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In Equilibrium with Barbara Hepworth

In Equilibrium at Heide Museum of Modern Art is the first major survey exhibition of Barbara Hepworth’s work in Australia; its title alludes to Hepworth’s ability to meld empty space with solid form, texture and colour to create a unified whole.

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Portraiture is a political act

From the Archibald to the Mona Lisa to the selfie, portraiture is a ubiquitous genre of our time. Yet it has an urgent social undercurrent of whose image we value, and what that image speaks to—which contemporary artists like Blak Douglas, Atong Atem, Peter Drew, Yvette Coppersmith and Kate Beynon are questioning with stunning effect.

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How can we live with Freedom of Movement?

From Nick Cave to KAWS to Patricia Piccinini, artists in Freedom of Movement: Contemporary Art and Design from the NGV Collection look at the ever-blurred lines of design and art, capturing everything from the stuff we buy to fantastical realms.

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Briony Downes

Writer

Briony Downes's Articles

The renaissance of clay

Catherine Opie both captures and unpacks identity and humanity

Two artists capture different sides of the Australian landscape

Adrienne Doig taps into her inner goddess

The theatrical botanicals of Valerie Sparks

Teho Ropeyarn creates lines of connection

Porcelain and sound waves: challenging the parameters of textiles

Dawn Beasley’s ceramic gardens travelling through the Northern Territory

Robyn Bischoff’s exploration of colour and hue

In Equilibrium with Barbara Hepworth

Portraiture is a political act

How can we live with Freedom of Movement?

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