How can the overload of images in daily life be seen as a positive thing? How can we keep ideas alive over decades of practice? How do you KEEP EVERYTHING and not become a hoarder? In this conversation Tai Snaith and Elizabeth Gower discuss an early work of hers on paper called ‘Precious Life’ from the MPRG collection. They explore the practice of collecting and sorting both actual materials and symbols and how it has adapted and changed over her life. Elizabeth shares how she learnt to...

As artists, how can we fill in the gaps of knowledge about our cultural histories? How can nature and country act as a connector? How can collaboration help strengthen our practice? Tai Snaith kicks off this new mini-series by speaking with Gundijmara/ Italian/ Torres Strait islander artist LISA WAUP about her powerfully personal, shield-like work on paper from the MPRG collection called ‘Admit to Care.’ Together they discuss Lisa’s process of collecting history and stitching it together in...

How does being a teacher affect your art practice? How can an artist successfully engage with an institution’s collection? How do we create our own opportunities and categories? What does it mean to trust your gut? For this final episode of the second series, Tai and Meredith discuss a broad range of topics around what it means to have a multifaceted, self-driven and supported practice. They share their love and importance of championing OTHER artists - what it means to not be a curator but...

How does being a teacher affect your art practice? How can an artist successfully engage with an institution's collection? How do we create our own opportunities and categories? What does it mean to trust your gut? For this final episode of the second series, Tai and Meredith discuss a broad range of topics around what it means to have a multifaceted, self-driven and supported practice. They share their love and importance of championing OTHER artists - what it means to not be a curator but...

What roles can social politics and social media play in driving an art practice? What role do beauty and aesthetic boundaries play in art today? How can these things interrelate? Tai and Rowan delve down the rabbit hole of creating fictions around ideas and images of self and others, creating characters and narratives to open up ideas of social inclusiveness and empathy. Rowan outlines how we should keep making these fictions despite the despair around us. How does marketing affect our image...

What roles can social politics and social media play in driving an art practice? What role do beauty and aesthetic boundaries play in art today? How can these things interrelate?Tai and Rowan delve down the rabbit hole of creating fictions around ideas and images of self and others, creating characters and narratives to open up ideas of social inclusiveness and empathy. Rowan outlines how we should keep making these fictions despite the despair around us. How does marketing affect our image...

How important is it to connect with a place that is part of your history? What are your responsibilities to make work for ‘your people’ as well as an art audience? Tai and Megan discuss what it means to move back to work ‘on country’ as a contemporary Indigenous artist. They unpack the complexities of relating to a place and its people, and how that might inform your work in a number of different ways. Megan talks about her involvement with proppaNOW and various travels from the bush to the...

How important is it to connect with a place that is part of your history? What are your responsibilities to make work for 'your people' as well as an art audience?Tai and Megan discuss what it means to move back to work 'on country' as a contemporary Indigenous artist. They unpack the complexities of relating to a place and its people, and how that might inform your work in a number of different ways. Megan talks about her involvement with proppaNOW and various travels from the bush to the...

What does it mean to make artwork with a social consciousness?How do we represent our politics through what we wear? Tai and Kate discuss the way that clothes, like skin, can carry a multitude of meanings, stories and histories to make up who we are. Kate talks about using other artists' clothes as the palette or starting point for constructing her current portraits. Our conversation outlines Kate’s very real motives for making change within the art institution to make it a more diverse and...

What does it mean to make artwork with a social consciousness?How do we represent our politics through what we wear?Tai and Kate discuss the way that clothes, like skin, can carry a multitude of meanings, stories and histories to make up who we are. Kate talks about using other artists' clothes as the palette or starting point for constructing her current portraits. Our conversation outlines Kate's very real motives for making change within the art institution to make it a more diverse and...

How can we make traces of suffering into visual poetry? How do we map emotional data? Tai and Stan talk about the different ways we can make our art practice meaningful to our lives, and the lives of others. They discuss how Stan has managed to include travel, meeting people, tattooing and even beekeeping as integral parts of her practice. She explains her deeply thoughtful process of ‘data mapping’ and how it relates to her tattooing practice via shared modes of intimacy, trust, intensity...

How can we make traces of suffering into visual poetry? How do we map emotional data?Tai and Stan talk about the different ways we can make our art practice meaningful to our lives, and the lives of others. They discuss how Stan has managed to include travel, meeting people, tattooing and even beekeeping as integral parts of her practice. She explains her deeply thoughtful process of 'data mapping' and how it relates to her tattooing practice via shared modes of intimacy, trust, intensity and...

How might an artwork be part of the language of interiors or functional design? How important is understanding scale and process? Tai and Esther go deep into process during this conversation. They discuss Esther’s studio process and what it means to adopt a more design-based practice and apply it to painting. Esther outlines the different stages of making a body of work from the ‘suitcase of patterns’ and ideas phase through to experimenting, ‘jiggled out thinking’, trialling, planning,...

How might an artwork be part of the language of interiors or functional design? How important is understanding scale and process?Tai and Esther go deep into process during this conversation. They discuss Esther's studio process and what it means to adopt a more design-based practice and apply it to painting. Esther outlines the different stages of making a body of work from the 'suitcase of patterns' and ideas phase through to experimenting, 'jiggled out thinking', trialling, planning, making...

How important is it to make yourself and others visible? What can a photograph achieve, and what is the power of the photographer? Tai and Atong discuss all the different aspects of Atong’s identity and how making sense of them informs her artwork. Atong explains what it is like to grow up ‘between cultures’ as a South Sudanese person in Australia and the liminality that exists as part of that. Atong openly addresses the complex nature of racism and the very real issue of ‘everyday racism’,...

How important is it to make yourself and others visible? What can a photograph achieve, and what is the power of the photographer?Tai and Atong discuss all the different aspects of Atong's identity and how making sense of them informs her artwork. Atong explains what it is like to grow up 'between cultures' as a South Sudanese person in Australia and the liminality that exists as part of that. Atong openly addresses the complex nature of racism and the very real issue of 'everyday racism',...

Can we maintain a lightness of being using heavy materials? What is the role of a public artist and how is this changing? In this spirited conversation, Tai and Sanné discuss what it means to be a self-made woman interested in the relationship between the lived world and the perceived world. They talk about depicting women with ‘gravity’ and a new way of how the female form might fit into the landscape. They discuss embarking on motherhood as an early to mid-career artist and being okay with...

Can we maintain a lightness of being using heavy materials? What is the role of a public artist and how is this changing?In this spirited conversation, Tai and Sanné discuss what it means to be a self-made woman interested in the relationship between the lived world and the perceived world. They talk about depicting women with 'gravity' and a new way of how the female form might fit into the landscape. They discuss embarking on motherhood as an early to mid-career artist and being okay with...

What is Conceptual Art? How can we do away with Visual Litter? Tai and Agatha talk about the practice of deep thinking and the process of taking ideas apart. They discuss the fine balance of keeping all the parts of the ‘plait’ of one’s life even and neatly braided, and what it means to follow a series of decisions to consciously take away anything extraneous to create strong, clear work. Agatha talks about her ongoing desire to ‘cut through the conceptual fog with a sharp knife’ and even her...

What is Conceptual Art? How can we do away with Visual Litter?Tai and Agatha talk about the practice of deep thinking and the process of taking ideas apart. They discuss the fine balance of keeping all the parts of the 'plait' of one's life even and neatly braided, and what it means to follow a series of decisions to consciously take away anything extraneous to create strong, clear work. Agatha talks about her ongoing desire to 'cut through the conceptual fog with a sharp knife' and even her...