In celebration of Artbank’s 45-year anniversary, two new exhibitions are On Display—also which happens to be the title of their new major publication.
Operating with a unique model of acquiring, preserving and celebrating the nation’s creative expression (by producing a valuable national asset of over 11,000 artworks from emerging, mid-career and established Australian artists—often following and acquiring individuals’ work across a career), Artbank’s ethos, ‘art is for everyone’ shines through. With over 50% of artworks on lease at any one time, in homes, workplaces and public institutions, Minister for the Arts, Tony Bourke states: “There are more artists with careers because of Artbank. There is more art on display around the nation because of Artbank.”
To mark the occasion, two shows across Sydney and Melbourne are on exhibition.
Artbank Melbourne’s show On Display, is on now until 10 October, bringing the pages of the landmark publication of the same name to life. Paying homage to the institution’s rich history, from 1980 to the present, it features works from the Artbank collection, by artists such as Sidney Nolan, Jeffrey Smart, Margaret Olley, Emily Kame Kngwarreye, Patricia Piccinini, Howard Arkley, Emma Buswell and Jean Barth.
Artbank’s Sydney window exhibits ‘Art Text/Text Art’, a celebration of the power of text within imagery and what these words mean within the context of art. Is the messaging louder? Is the messaging clearer? How do the words make us step back to consider a different meaning? Curated by Artbank’s founding curator James Kenny and current curator Oliver Watts, featuring works by Australian artists Ian W. Abdulla, Darcey Bella Arnold, Chayni Henry, Heather Koowootha, Michael Lindeman, Alasdair McLuckie, Nell, Raquel Ormella, Soda Jerk, and Tom Polo, ‘Art Text/Text Art’ gives the public a look inside their very own national collection, on now until 24 October.
View in pictures, a journey through the nation’s public art collection through art and text.
Alasdair Mcluckie, The highest mountain peaks right before dawn, 2008-09, Biro on plywood, 90 x 60 x 2 cm.
Chayni Henry, On the Road Again, 2008, Synthetic polymer paint on board, 43.5 x 33.5 x 4.5 cm.
Darcey Bella Arnold, A Witness, 2020, Synthetic polymer paint on canvas board, 110 x 90 x 1 cm.
Davida Allen, Sam Neill Fantasy, 1986, Brush and ink, wax crayon, pastel, black pencil and collage of torn paper, 75.5 x 54 x 3.5 cm.
Heather Koowootha, The Bush people’s walking path ways of Country site’s and story places (1), 2023
Watercolour, pen and pencil on paper, 91 x 70.5 x 3.5 cm.
Justin Trendall, Atmosphere 2, 2007, Screenprint on cotton, 118.5 x 98.5 x 3.5 cm.
Mary Pan, Nyurpaya Kaika
Piti tjukurpa, 2018
Mulga wood, 64 x 32 x 21 cm.
Michael Lindeman, Dear Marcel, 2013
Pencil and synthetic polymer paint on paper, 90 x 64 cm.
Michael Lindeman, Paintings, Prints & Wall Hangings, 2007, Synthetic polymer paint on canvas.
Scott Duncan, Fruit Vessel, 2018, Earthenware, underglaze, glaze, 96 x 53 x 18 cm.
On Display
Artbank Melbourne
8 August – 10 October 2025
Art Text/Text Art: 45 years of visual story telling
Artbank Sydney Window
28 August – 24 October 2025
Suggested Reading
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Anna Carlsson
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Gok-Lim Finch
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Art Guide Australia
Community building
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Sophie Penkethman-Young’s Scroll Play
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Danie Mellor contemplates history and memory
Marru translates to “becoming visible” in Danie Mellor’s ancestral Dyirbal language (of Far North Queensland). In his current exhibition Danie Mellor: marru | the unseen visible at Queensland Art Gallery, the title reflects the work’s gentle ruminations on the complexities of the history of colonisation entwined with personal memories.