Blog

Open letter regarding the withdrawal of Australia’s 2026 Venice Biennale Representatives

February 24, 2025Advocacy

Creative Australia announced that it will not proceed with the artistic team selected to represent Australia at the 2026 Venice Biennale. This decision, reportedly made unanimously by its Board, was said to be justified by concerns over “prolonged and divisive debate.” Memo has published an open letter in response to the decision which can be read in full here. If you would like to add your name to this letter, please sign via the following form. The Editors, Memo

Film │ BOTTICELLI’S PRIMAVERA

February 24, 2025Film

BOTTICELLI’S PRIMAVERA, a comprehensive film based on meticulous research taking a fresh look at the different mysteries and often conflicting interpretations surrounding it, its rich mythology and allegories, the sumptuous event it was created for, the impact of humanism, classical poetry, Rome, the Medici family and more. Astonishing close-up details of Primavera make this film an inspiring experience. In Australia and New Zealand the film can be viewed on the Ideas Roadshow app (Apple and Google Play store) or Vimeo and Demand. The film is also available for educational licensing through Docuseek or directly through Ideas Roadshow. You can find […]

Statement in support of Khaled Sabsabi and Michael Dagastino

February 18, 2025Advocacy

AAANZ has written a statement in support of Khaled Sabsabi and Michael Dagastino and calls on Creative Australia to reverse their decision. Also see the open letter from Memo Review https://www.memoreview.net/articles/letters/open-letter-re-the-withdrawal-of-australia-s-2026-venice-biennale-representatives NAVA Statement: https://visualarts.net.au/news-opinion/2025/nava-statement-support-artist-khaled-sabsabi/

Grants and Awards │ Australian Academy of the Humanities │ Deadline Friday 28 March 2025

February 17, 2025Grants, Prizes, Research Fellowship

Australian Academy of the Humanities’ have just opened applications for the 2025 Grants and Awards Program for EMCRs working across the humanities. The closing date is Friday 28 March 2025. This year, the Academy will accept nominations for the: Max Crawford Medal Australia’s most prestigious award for achievement and promise in the Humanities, the Max Crawford Medal recognises an early-career scholar in the humanities whose publications contribute towards an understanding of their discipline. This award relies on nominations, and we encourage all to nominate an ECMR doing exciting work in their field. John Mulvaney Fellowship Awarded to an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander […]

AFNGA AUSart Fellowship │ Study in the USA │ Deadline March 31, 2025

February 17, 2025Grants, Research Fellowship

Established in 2012, the AusArt Fellowship offers emerging practitioners in the field of visual arts the opportunity to progress their studies at a university, educational institution, or museum in the United States. Comprising a one-off grant of US$30,000 and conferred annually, the Fellowship is open to visual artists, curators, art historians, administrators, and conservators to study at a graduate or post-graduate level in the United States. The AusArt Fellowship is made possible through the generous support of the Dr. Lee MacCormick Edwards Charitable Foundation and the American Friends of the National Gallery of Australia. US Enrollment Acceptance into a US […]

Applications Open │ Australia-Japan Foundation Visiting Professor of Australian Studies 2025-26 and 2026-27

February 10, 2025News

Australia-Japan Foundation Visiting Professorship opportunity for senior HASS academics The AJF Visiting Professor of Australian Studies is intended to enhance Australia-Japan relationships via a funded, 10-month visiting position at the University of Tokyo. Applications are now open for two terms: 2025-26 and 2026-27. The International Australian Studies Association will be facilitating the Australian side of the application and interview process. More information can be found here Full Position Description is available here Please direct any enquiries to Professor Kate Darian-Smith (k.darian-smith@unimelb.edu.au), Chair of the Selection Committee on behalf of InASA, copying in InASA admin (a.szymanski@uq.edu.au). The closing date for applications (for both […]

Event │Dark Renaissance │Friday 28 February

February 10, 2025Events

Dark Renaissance 28 February 2025, 10am-5pm and online via Zoom Lecture Theatre 2, Old Geology Building, Parkville Campus, University of Melbourne The Renaissance period is associated with so many artistic and cultural innovations that it can be easy to overlook its darker aspects. But there is another side to this history, from toxic materials and techniques to violent images and social isolation. For this symposium, early modern specialists from across Australia and New Zealand will come together to take a new look at Renaissance, and a different lens on this fascinating and troubled period. The event is organised by the Australian […]

Job │Director, Art Gallery of New South Wales │Closes Sunday, 9 February

February 3, 2025Jobs

The Art Gallery of New South Wales (the Art Gallery), one of Australia’s leading cultural institutions, is seeking a dynamic and visionary Director / Chief Executive to lead it into a new era. Located in Sydney’s cultural precinct, the Art Gallery attracts millions of visitors annually and offers a space for inspiration and discovery. Its diverse collection spans Australian and international art with a special focus on First Nations art. The Art Gallery has recently been transformed by the Sydney Modern Project, enhancing its spaces and engaging new audiences. As it aims to strengthen its national and global position, the […]

Survey: Shaping the Future of Pacific Representation at the National Portrait Gallery

January 28, 2025General

An invitation to participate in a survey about Pacific Representation at the National Portrait Gallery. Survey blurb: We are seeking community insights to help guide a partnership between the National Portrait Gallery, the Australian Association for Pacific Studies, and the Oceania Working Party of the Australian Dictionary of Biography. Your responses will inform how we can meaningfully celebrate Pacific peoples and cultures. When answering the following questions, please don’t be constrained by traditional notions of portraiture or art galleries. We would like to develop partnerships that extend beyond the walls of the National Portrait Gallery, and beyond the boundaries of […]

CALL FOR PAPERS │Perspective, no. 2026 – 1 : Learning/Teaching │ Deadline 10 February

January 20, 2025Call for Papers

Perspective will explore, in its 2026 – 1 issue, co-edited by Thomas Golsenne (INHA), Déborah Laks (CNRS) et Guy Lambert (École nationale supérieure d’architecture de Paris-Belleville) to the question Learning/Teaching. Does one learn to become an artist? This question, which traverses the history of contemporary art, has never been resolved. It reflects – and confronts – aesthetic, philosophical, cultural and perhaps even religious concepts. From the standpoint of art history, however, the answer can only be positive, given that artistic production is largely a matter of artist-to-artist legacies and transmissions, whether on a daily basis in the studio and the closed circuit of the school or through the study of […]