PhilJames grew up on a diet of MAD comics and Loony Tunes cartoon characters, as well as doodling over the photos in his mother’s Vogue magazines. He then found his way to art school where he was taught technique and ‘real’ art history. All these influences and passions have found a way into PhilJames’ paintings and sculptures in which he melds these images and histories to bring humour, irony and a new and contemporary spin on what we think of as ‘high’ and ‘low’ art. Here Philjames talks...

Elliott Routledge paints in both the public and private domain – outdoors on large scale brick walls and on canvas for private homes. His early years spent as a graffiti artist honed his technique and love of colour and graphics. These days he is more likely to be commissioned to paint a large outdoor mural or manage a fellow artist to undertake something equally ambitious, having ticked all the boxes for government/ council approval. His recent exhibition at Olsen Gallery in Sydney reveals...

The biodiversity crisis facing Australia’s native flora and fauna is the focus of Pamela Pauline’s most recent photographic series: Fragile, Beauty Rich and Rare and On the Brink. Each artwork reflects true mastery of digital photography, in capturing the images of individual birds and plants, and painstakingly piecing them together when back in the studio to create ethereal landscapes and sumptuous still life compositions. The urgency of this crisis, at the forefront of Pamela’s approach,...

Dr Kath Fries is first and foremost an artist who is interested in how the creative process can assist us – as both individuals and as communities - to make sense of our real and imagined worlds. She makes ephemeral installations from natural materials like mushrooms, bees wax and bamboo as well as things she finds in the back lane behind her home. She is also a curator, working on HIDDEN contemporary sculpture in Rookwood Cemetery; as well as an administrator, having managed the John Fries...

Luise Guest is a Sydney-based independent researcher, writer and art educator with a focus on contemporary art in/from China. For over 10 years Luise has travelled to China regularly, interviewing artists in their studios, exploring the extraordinary Chinese art world and writing about who she meets and what she sees and learns. Her book 'Half the Sky: Conversations with Women Artists in China‘ shares the fascinating and not-often-told stories of some incredibly talented Chinese women artists...

Nicholas Smith The newest gallery on the Sydney scene opened during Sydney’s 2021 COVID lockdown – N Smith Gallery. Director Nicholas Smith is optimistic for the potential for the gallery to make a lasting impact because of his belief in the artists he represents. He speaks openly about his journey from sceptical science student to contemporary art gallery owner. Visit the Gallery’s website for all the info on Nicholas’ artists, https://www.nsmithgallery.com/ For other episodes go to our...

Elvis Richardson’s art practice reveals the value and mystery in an ordinary life, as well as the harsh reality of its precariousness. She relies on found images and objects, sourced from the public domain, online or on the street, to give voice to the stories often deemed less interesting. A significant part of her practice includes a major research project The CoUNTess Report. It is both art and advocacy, collecting and analysing data on gender imbalance across the art world and was the...

Dean Cross was born and raised on Ngunnawal/Ngambri Country and is of Worimi descent. His artworks defy easy categorisation but they are created as installations, sculptures and/ or photography. Dean’s career began in contemporary dance, performing and choreographing nationally and internationally for over a decade with Australia’s leading dance companies. He stepped across into the visual arts and since then, has gained considerable respect for a practice which critically examines where...

Trent Jansen is an object designer whose practice is founded in material culture theory. Proposed by academic Jules Prown, material culture suggests that the belief systems - the values, ideas, attitudes, assumptions and aspirations – of a particular community or society can be understood through the objects and artefacts which were designed and made within it. Think of what a Shaker style armchair says about its modest, deeply religious community versus the furniture from the period of Louis...

Neil Hobbs and Karina Harris’ lives are focussed on art: they are avid collectors of contemporary Australian art, and supporters of the artists whose works they have bought and whom they have befriended. They work together as landscape architects in Canberra, and are renowned for their award-winning projects. Neil has taken his passion for art further and, as part of his PhD, he founded and curated Contour 556 in 2016, a biennial festival in Canberra of public art installation and...

Wendy Murray is visual artist and activist whose drawing and printmaking practice is based out of studios in Sydney and Los Angeles. Wendy’s art is informed by her commitment to street art, graffiti art and older style printing technology. Her work captures an urban life & the pressing social and political issues of the day. She has a profound understanding of the power that image and text can play in the public domain. Wendy's work is held in public collections including the National...

Together with Michaele Crawford, Jenny Turpin, Turpin + Crawford Studio, a public art practice which aims to expand the potential for art in the public domain. They work with government and corporate clients to reimagine public spaces, and seek to reconnect people with nature and history, in place and with community.  Together they have won numerous awards for excellence in civic and environmental design. In 2016 Jenny was awarded a Churchill Fellowship. Here Jenny talks about how their...

This is a podcast about art: the people who create it, exhibit it, buy it, sell it, talk about it and, above all, love it. Producer Simon Grant, who was the force behind the highly successful WonderWalls Festivals in the Illawarra, invited host Fiona McIntosh to create a podcast which shares the stories of the many artists, curators, collectors and others in the art world who inspire her. Fiona has extensive professional experience and deep knowledge across the Australian visual arts...