For Hunter Valley artist Rebecca Rath, establishing human connection with the natural world is the premise of her practice and the impetus for Found. In this series of paintings Rath brings to life her surrounds, seeking to find new ways of seeing what is in her own ‘backyard’.
Steffie Yee spent many years gathering stories and images of her family’s history in the town of Branxton, NSW where her parents successfully ran a Chinese restaurant. Yee’s solo exhibition Chinese Restaurant Playground, which celebrates playfulness and joy, recently opened at the Maitland Regional Art Gallery.
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.
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.
The finalist portraits in the biggest Australian art award of the year have been announced, alongside the winner of The Packing Room Prize: Abdul Abdullah for his portrait of fellow artist Jason Phu.
Dangerously Modern: Australian Women Artists in Europe 1890–1940, co-curated by the Art Gallery of South Australia and the Art Gallery of New South Wales, celebrates 50 Australian women artists who travelled to Europe during the early 20th century.
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.
![Between [the] Details](https://artguide.com.au/assets/files/2025/06/Maitland-Regional-Art-Gallery-01_Kaylene-Whiskey_Hero-copy-600x338.jpg)
