Steve Dow

Writer

Steve Dow is a Melbourne-born, Sydney-based arts writer, whose profiles, essays, previews and reviews range across the visual arts, theatre, film and television for The Saturday Paper, Guardian Australia, The Monthly, the Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, Sunday Life, Limelight and VAULT.

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Nathan Maynard’s act of repatriation

For Hobart Current Biennale, Nathan Maynard has created Relics Act—a project involving a volunteer’s willing sacrifice of their future deceased body on Lutruwita Country, which is how Maynard met 71-year-old Tony.

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The art heist you’ve never heard of

A new SBS documentary investigates the little-known 1986 art heist that saw 26 priceless paintings stolen from a remote monastery in Western Australia.

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Patrick Brown on “geological consent”

From coastal Shark Bay to the dusty goldfields region of Leonora, Patrick Brown explores the complexity of landscapes for his new exhibition at Art Collective WA.

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“We need a source of hope”: Hiromi Tango’s dream flowers are in bloom

Hiromi Tango is creating aesthetic pathways through trauma and illness, particularly long Covid, using her signature rainbow palette to centre gentleness, compassion and hope at Brisbane Festival.

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Coming together: Desert Mob returns to Alice Springs

Spanning over 30 art centres, 1,221 million square kilometres, and 16 languages, Desert Mob is a joyful gathering that celebrates community and Country, from food to fashion to sovereignty.

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Take a tour of the South Australian Living Artists Festival

Spanning the entire state of South Australia, SALA Festival is returning in 2023 with a staggering 9,000 artists, spanning everything from intimate studio tours to virtual reality.

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The 130-year-old drawings of Charlie Flannigan

Charlie Flannigan was an Aboriginal stockman and jockey who was incarcerated at Fannie Bay Gaol, awaiting the gallows, in the late 1800s. Now, his rare and rediscovered drawings are showing at the South Australian Museum.

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Spirit in First Nations art, high above the city

Perhaps it’s related to contemporary life, but the spiritual in art feels central at this moment. Now, as part of RISING Festival, the spiritual practices and connections of First Nations artists are taking over a historic Melbourne site.

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Should we dream of electric sheep?

Green energy is not an uncomplicated, naturally ethical idea—as the new exhibition We Are Electric: Extraction, Extinction and Post-Carbon Futures at UQ Art Museum shows, by merging research and art.

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Remembering the life of John Olsen

“He was a poet of the Australian landscape, a storyteller of our country and a lyricist of humanity.” A stalwart of Australian art, the passing of painter John Olsen has seen flowing tributes.

News

Archie Moore is heading to Venice Biennale in 2024

With a 25-year practice confronting colonial histories, First Nations artist Archie Moore will represent Australia in the 60th Venice Biennale, calling on family history—“something I avoided and was wary of going there”—as “one component” of the project. He’s also the second solo Indigenous artist to represent Australia at the global art event.

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Tomás Saraceno’s web of life

From working with spider diviners to creating solarpowered hot air balloons, Tomás Saraceno’s exquisite art shows what we can learn from nature to rethink everything from climate change to wealth inequality.

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Steve Dow

Writer

Steve Dow's Articles

Nathan Maynard’s act of repatriation

The art heist you’ve never heard of

Patrick Brown on “geological consent”

“We need a source of hope”: Hiromi Tango’s dream flowers are in bloom

Coming together: Desert Mob returns to Alice Springs

Take a tour of the South Australian Living Artists Festival

The 130-year-old drawings of Charlie Flannigan

Spirit in First Nations art, high above the city

Should we dream of electric sheep?

Remembering the life of John Olsen

Archie Moore is heading to Venice Biennale in 2024

Tomás Saraceno’s web of life

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