Preview Wang Zhiyuan and our roles as little dictators In an era of information excess and manipulation, Wang Zhiyuan’s Dictator Training Centre exhibiting at Passage Gallery, reminds us of contemporary art’s potential as an open-ended platform for reflection, dialogue, and shared authorship. Michelle Wang
Book Reviews Shelf Portraits: Critical Currents In our ongoing series, Shelf Portraits, Art Guide writers recommend the books—recently published or deserving of more attention—that shed new light on an idea that has long simmered in the art world or has helped them see a familiar medium in a different light. Jane O'Sullivan
Interview Backyard Questions and Kitchen Table Answers: A Conversation with Stolon Press’s Simryn Gill Peter Hill interviews Simryn Gill about the exhibition Stolon Press: Flat earth at Monash University Museum of Art. Peter Hill
Preview Max Mueller paints propulsively Hobart-based Max Mueller’s In the Sticks exhibition at Handmark Gallery features oil-on-linen works that show tranquil scenes of Tasmania, musing on how nature is managed and maintained in a context of civilisation and curation. Barnaby Smith
Interview Julie Fragar on “painting in the first person” With a current survey exhibition at Rockhampton Museum of Art chronicling 23 years of painting and photography, Julie Fragar talks about creative influences and what it’s like to observe a Supreme Court murder trial. Briony Downes
Feature Thom Roberts’ world-building approach to portraiture The works of Thom Roberts are immediate in their charm, yet underpinned by poignant reflections on identity, perspective and belonging. His exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra marks the artist’s first major solo show, bringing together more than a decade’s work spanning painting, installation, sculpture, animation, and works on paper. Camilla Wagstaff