What Women Are Choosing Instead of ‘Lean in’ – and Why It Matters in the Arts
Women in the arts are moving away from the relentless "lean‑in" model toward a more intentional, sustainable pace. They are choosing to protect creative downtime, limit constant self‑promotion, and focus on depth rather than sheer output. This shift reflects a broader reassessment of work‑life balance, especially among mid‑career creators facing burnout. The result is fewer but more considered projects that aim to endure beyond fleeting visibility.
The Paradise Pact by Anita Heiss Review: A Beach Read with a Backstory
Anita Heiss’s new novel The Paradise Pact follows Abbey, a Wiradyuri entrepreneur in her fifties, as she embarks on a girls‑trip to Hawai’i that turns into a personal reset. The narrative weaves mid‑life romance, friendship, and a half‑marathon challenge with...
Melbourne’s ACMI to Stage World-First Bluey Exhibition in 2027
Melbourne’s Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) will host the world’s first Bluey exhibition in mid‑2027, securing exclusive global rights and collaborating with the series’ creator Ludo Studio and BBC Studios. The showcase promises a behind‑the‑scenes look at the...
Stella Prize: 2026 Shortlist Announced
The Stella Prize announced its 2026 shortlist, featuring six works by Australian women and non‑binary writers across fiction, poetry, memoir, and graphic novel. A record 212 titles were submitted, and each shortlisted author will receive about $3,300 USD. The ultimate...
Keep the Chains Tight Review: Artist Kiera Brew Kurec Considers Ukrainian Traditions
Kiera Brew Kurec’s performance "Keep the Chains Tight" staged at Sydney’s Randwick Literary Institute on March 28 used the Ukrainian pysanka egg‑making ritual to explore how cultural knowledge is transmitted across generations. Performers in black vests selected wax‑coated eggs, melted the...
Department of the Vanishing Review: Johanna Bell’s Lyrical Novel Is ‘Monumentally Memorable’
Johanna Bell’s *Department of the Vanishing*, winner of the 2025 Tasmanian Literary Award, reads like a found‑footage documentary that fuses poetry, archival documents, and striking imagery. The novel follows archivist Ava Wilde as she catalogs extinct bird species, weaving climate...
Porcelain Review: Peach PRC’s Debut LP Is a Candid Take on Young Queer Life
Australian singer‑songwriter Peach PRC released her debut LP *Porcelain*, a record that intertwines nature‑filled synth pop with candid reflections on young queer life. Critics applaud the autobiographical lyricism on tracks like “Celebrity Crush” and “Out Loud,” but fault the production...
The Business of Comedy Conference – an Australian First
The Business of Comedy Conference, held 16‑18 April 2026 at Melbourne’s Crowne Plaza, is Australia’s first event dedicated to the economics of comedy. Organisers Morry Morgan and Lily Geddes expect more than 450 attendees from government, media, tech, advertising and the comedy...
What Local Game Developers Really Think About Using GenAI Artworks as ‘Placeholders’
Game studios worldwide are increasingly using generative AI to create placeholder artwork, but many developers argue these AI‑generated assets hinder creative iteration and often remain in shipped products. The practice has sparked player backlash, with fans accusing studios of laziness,...
Griefdogg Review: Michael Winkler Pulls Australian Fiction in Brave New Directions
Australian author Michael Winkler’s second novel, Griefdogg, follows the surreal transformation of hydrologist Jeffrey into a self‑designated family pet after inheriting a seven‑figure sum (approximately $1‑$9 million). The book employs a non‑chronological, stream‑of‑consciousness narrative peppered with Australian colloquialisms, scientific digressions and...
Artists Wanted: Deakin’s Contemporary Small Sculpture Award Is Calling for Entries
The Deakin University Contemporary Small Sculpture Award enters its 17th year as a free‑entry, nationwide competition that attracted 735 submissions in 2025 and will award a $26,000 AUD prize pool (≈$17,000 USD) in 2026. The First Prize of $15,000 AUD (≈$10,000 USD) is...
A Transgender Woman on the Internet, Crying Review: Dark, Bold and Playfully Queer
Cassie Hamilton’s new musical *A Transgender Woman on the Internet, Crying* opened at Sydney’s Old Fitz Theatre, marrying hyper‑pop, drum‑and‑bass soundscapes with a rom‑com structure to explore trans identity in the digital age. Developed through ATYP’s Fresh Ink and previously...
I Founded Australia’s First Silo Art Trail – Here’s Why the Movement Now Needs to Evolve
The Creative Director of Juddy Roller, who launched Australia’s first curated Silo Art Trail in 2015, has overseen more than 45 silo murals nationwide. While the movement has boosted regional tourism and community pride, the author warns that artistic ambition...
Lack of Clarity in New Hate Speech Laws Impacting Artists, Arts Bodies Warn
Queensland introduced the Fighting Antisemitism and Keeping Guns Out of the Hands of Terrorists and Criminals Amendment Bill 2026 on March 11, criminalising words, symbols and expressions that may "menace, harass or offend." Within weeks, Brisbane artist James Hillier was...
Theatre Designers Are Being Disrespected – and I Should Know
Australian independent theatre is increasingly treating design as an afterthought, despite its role in storytelling. Productions often allocate minimal budgets—sometimes as low as $600 AUD (≈$400 USD)—and compress technical rehearsals from a week‑long process to a single day. This rush...
The Season for Flying Saucers Review: Brendan Colley’s UFO Story Is Profound and Very Human
Brendan Colley’s second novel, *The Season for Flying Saucers*, follows the Grey family in present‑day Tasmania after the patriarch’s literal UFO abduction thirteen years earlier. The story uses the alien premise as a metaphor for loss, autonomy and the search...
African Film Fest Brings Whimsy, Social Realism and Powerful Storytelling to Melbourne
African Film Fest Australia expands to Melbourne, showcasing three standout films that illustrate the continent’s cinematic diversity. "The Fisherman" blends magic‑realist comedy with commentary on urbanisation, while Kenya’s "Nawi" offers a socially realistic portrait of a girl fighting forced marriage....
The Lester Prize Is Open for 2026 Season Entries
The Lester Prize has opened entries for its 2026 season, inviting Australian‑resident artists aged 18 and over to compete for a total prize pool exceeding $135,000 AUD (about $89,000 USD). The 2025 edition attracted over 1,000 submissions and more than 30,000 visitors...
Stage Kiss Review: A ‘Wonderfully Funny’ and Very Meta Farce at Sydney’s New Theatre
Stage Kiss, a new production at Sydney’s New Theatre, uses a play‑within‑a‑play structure to lampoon melodrama while probing the performative nature of love. Written by Sarah Ruhl and directed by Alice Livingstone, the farce follows an actress auditioning for a...
Producers Are Keen but Cautious About Asia Pacific Touring Opportunities
Australian producers are optimistic about expanding touring opportunities across the Asia‑Pacific, buoyed by the federal government’s Invested 2040 strategy and the newly‑launched ASEAN‑Australia Centre. Initiatives by boutique agency Turning World show growing artistic reciprocity, yet cultural‑sector literacy between Australia and Southeast...
Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy Wins Indie Book Awards 2026 Book of the Year
Charlotte McConaghy’s novel *Wild Dark Shore* has been named the Indie Book Awards 2026 Book of the Year, a title voted on by independent booksellers across Australia. Judges highlighted its seamless blend of literary fiction and thriller, as well as its philosophical...
Takashi Murakami: Major Retrospective of Japanese Artist to Be Held in Sydney This Year
Australia’s Art Gallery of New South Wales will present the first major Takashi Murakami retrospective in the country, opening 5 December 2025 and running until July 2027. Developed with the artist, the exhibition spans three decades of work, featuring paintings, sculptures, video and...
The Devil’s Violin Review: ACO Brings Style and Flair to a Lively Program
The Australian Chamber Orchestra’s “The Devil’s Violin” concert series showcased guest virtuoso Ilya Gringolts alongside principal violinist Satu Vänskä, presenting eight works ranging from Baroque to contemporary. Gringolts performed on a 1743 Guarneri del Gesù, delivering standout renditions of Tartini’s “Devil’s...
Theatre of Dreams Review: Dance that Channels Such Stuff as Dreams Are Made On
The Hofesh Shecter Company’s "Theatre of Dreams" premiered at Adelaide Festival, delivering a surreal dance experience that combined full‑frontal male nudity, a red‑suited live band, and dynamic lighting to mimic the logic of dreams. The 90‑minute performance featured twelve dancers...
Best Opportunities, Grants & Awards for Creatives: 16 to 22 March 2026
A curated roundup of arts funding and development opportunities runs from 16‑22 March 2026, covering visual arts, literature, dance, photography, and performance across Australia and Greece. Highlights include three 18‑month paid artist positions with The Unconformity, an $80,000 Copyright Agency Partnership Grant...
First Nations Ceramics Exhibition Of This Earth Starts National Tour in Cairns
The National Gallery of Australia has launched the touring exhibition "Of This Earth: Transforming Culture and Country through First Nations Ceramics" in Cairns, showcasing 29 works by 28 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists. The show highlights both ancient clay...
Stella Prize 2026 Longlist Celebrates the Power of Memory, Truth and Creative Fiction
The 2026 Stella Prize longlist, announced today, features 12 works by Australian women and non‑binary writers across poetry, memoir, fiction, non‑fiction and graphic novels. The prize received 212 entries, and each longlisted author will receive $2,000, with the ultimate winner...
RISING 2026 Is Dominated by Dance and Contemporary Music
Melbourne’s winter festival RISING returns from 27 May to 8 June 2026 with a program dominated by contemporary dance and music. The inaugural Australian Dance Biennale anchors the dance lineup, featuring works from Oona Doherty, the Royal Family Dance Crew’s Polyswagg style, and a...
Dancing in CERCLES: Perth Festival Show Excels at Bringing People Together
French choreographer Boris Charmatz brought his participatory work CERCLES to Perth Festival, marking the piece’s first presentation outside Europe. Around 150 members of the public attended six half‑day workshops and performed a 40‑minute repertoire alongside 12 Australian dance artists serving...
How to Embrace ‘Radical Access’ in the Arts
Between 2023 and 2024 Australia’s cultural and creative industries generated $67.4 billion, with audiences with disability attending at parity with non‑disabled audiences. Initiatives such as the Access Fringe partnership with Arts Access Victoria and the Fair Play program are embedding ‘radical access’...
Sydney Finally Has a Cinémathèque – What Took so Long?
After more than two decades of proposals, the Art Gallery of New South Wales officially opened the Sydney Cinémathèque on 7 March, providing the city with a permanent home for curated repertory cinema. The gallery’s film program, already serving as an...
Mary Said What She Said Review: A Stunning Solo Act
"Mary Said What She Said" is a 90‑minute avant‑garde monologue starring Isabelle Huppert as Mary Queen of Scots, staged at the Adelaide Festival. Directed and designed by the late Robert Wilson, the piece blends rapid French dialogue, pre‑recorded Ludovico Einaudi...
The Tiger Lillies Review: Dead Funny Cabaret at Adelaide Festival
British post‑punk cabaret trio The Tiger Lillies performed at Adelaide Festival’s Her Majesty’s Theatre, promoting their new album Serenade from the Sewer. The act’s grotesque clown aesthetic and macabre ballads recalled Brecht‑Weill and Tom Waits, but critics found the music...
History of Violence Review: Exploring Memory, Trauma and the Nature of Truth at Adelaide Festival
History of Violence, directed by Thomas Ostermeier, opened Adelaide Festival’s Dunstan Playhouse from Feb 27 to Mar 2, adapting Édouard Louis’s autobiographical novel. The production blends live camera feeds, black‑and‑white projections, and a percussive score to fragment the protagonist’s traumatic recollection of...
Best Opportunities, Grants & Awards for Creatives: 9 to 15 March 2026
A nationwide roundup of creative funding and residency opportunities has been released for the week of 9‑15 March 2026. Programs span visual arts, writing, film, digital games and arts leadership, offering residencies, cash grants, scholarships and business accelerators across Victoria, Queensland, Western...
This Narungga-Led First Nations Performance Will Premiere in India in a Historic Cultural Exchange
Later this month, the Narungga‑led performance Guuranda X KMMC will debut in Chennai, India, marking the first public presentation of the Narungga language on the subcontinent. The three‑day event blends theatre, song, puppetry and dance, and will be livestreamed globally on 22 March....
Asia Pacific Arts Awards: Honouring Diaspora Artists and Enduring Connections
Creative Australia’s Asia Pacific Arts Awards were held in Perth on 23 February, awarding $25,000 cash prizes across six categories to artists, collectives and organisations with strong diaspora ties. The ceremony, staged at Western Australia’s Government House, underscored the role...
Tyshawn Sorey: Alone Review – Adelaide Festival 2026
Tyshawn Sorey delivered a one‑off, hour‑long solo piano improvisation at Adelaide Festival’s historic Her Majesty’s Theatre. The performance, titled *Tyshawn Sorey: Alone*, merged Impressionist textures, free‑jazz intensity, and avant‑garde sonorities into a continuous wave of sound. Sorey, a Pulitzer‑Prize‑winning, McArthur...
Rising Voices: Contemporary Art From Asia, Australia and the Pacific to Open at the V&A
London’s V&A, in partnership with QAGOMA, will open the "Rising Voices" exhibition in May, showcasing more than 70 works by over 40 contemporary artists from 25 Asia‑Pacific countries. The show pulls from three decades of the Asia Pacific Triennial, presenting...
Parrtjima Festival’s Extraordinary 2026 Program Revealed
Parrtjima Festival returns to Alice Springs from 10‑19 April 2026 for its 11th edition, centering on the theme “Language.” The free, all‑ages event will showcase more than 36 First Nations artists and over 50 performers across light installations, workshops, music and storytelling....
Perle Noire Review: Charting the Inner Life of the Iconic Josephine Baker
Perle Noire: Meditations for Joséphine debuted at Adelaide Festival, offering a non‑linear, emotionally driven portrait of iconic Black performer Josephine Baker. Directed by Peter Sellars and scored by avant‑garde jazz composer Tyshawn Sorey, the production blends operatic cabaret, spoken word,...
Dear Colin Brooks: Defunded Victorian Arts Organisations Address Creative Industries Minister
Several Victorian arts bodies—including Writers Victoria, the Public Galleries Association of Victoria, Abbotsford Convent and Australian Print Workshop—have been stripped of operational funding by Creative Victoria. The groups have publicly appealed to Creative Industries Minister Colin Brooks, citing petitions, funding...
Manifest Destiny Review: Alex Frayne’s Photographic Roadtrip Through a National Crisis
Australian photographer Alex Frayne’s “Manifest Destiny” debuted at the 2026 Adelaide Festival, presenting a three‑year road‑trip series that documents a fragmented United States. Shot primarily on medium‑format film and displayed in a semi‑immersive U‑shaped LED installation, the work juxtaposes decaying...
The Cherry Orchard Review: A Korean Take on Chekhov at Adelaide Festival
Simon Stone’s latest adaptation of Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard relocates the story from pre‑revolutionary Russia to a contemporary South Korean chaebol family, premiering at Adelaide Festival 2026. The production stars Cannes Best Actress winner Doyeon Jeon in her first stage...