Dungeons & Damper Is a New Indigenous-Led D&D Experience Set for Vivid 2026
Dungeons & Damper: Inside the D20, an Indigenous‑led Dungeons & Dragons experience, will debut at Vivid 2026 in Sydney. Created by Wonnarua sisters Maddison and George Coles with Studio Gilay and Brooke Collard, the game blends fantasy mechanics with First Nations storytelling and environmental themes. Development involved extensive consultation with Bundjalung, Gadigal and other knowledge holders to ensure cultural authenticity. Free sessions run on 30‑31 May at the University of Technology, Sydney, inviting the public to explore Indigenous concepts of Country through play.
The Hair of the Pigeon Review: Mohammed Massoud Morsi’s Masterwork
Mohammed Massoud Morsi’s second novel, The Hair of the Pigeon, follows Ghassan, a Palestinian refugee navigating life in Syria’s Yarmouk camp and later abroad. The narrative intertwines love, betrayal, and the brutal realities of war, culminating in a stark choice...
Artists Can Help Us Fight AI’s Existential Threats
Artists warn that generative AI is eroding creative livelihoods and posing existential risks. A UK study found two‑thirds of creatives feel their careers are threatened, while AI‑generated works have already won fine‑art contests. By 2025, more than 100 UK parliamentarians...
Illuminate Adelaide Reveals Its 2026 Program
Illuminate Adelaide has announced its 2026 winter festival lineup, featuring immersive digital experiences such as Moment Factory’s Augmented Games and Miguel Chevalier’s underwater‑themed Digital Abyss. The program also includes the final chapter of the zoo’s night‑time prehistoric showcase, Universal Kingdom: Ice...
John Brack X Noel McKenna Review: National Portrait Gallery’s Masterful Pairing of Two Great Australian Painters
The National Portrait Gallery in Canberra is showcasing “John Brack × Noel McKenna: A face in the mirror,” a curated pairing of two iconic Australian painters. The show juxtaposes Brack’s mid‑century portraits with McKenna’s contemporary works, using a distinctive aubergine backdrop to highlight visual and thematic links. Around...
On the Move: Latest Arts Sector Appointments
Susan Provan AO will step down as Festival Director and CEO of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival later this year, ending a 31‑year tenure that began in 1995. Under her leadership, MICF grew into the world’s largest dedicated comedy festival...
Meanjin: QUT Appoints ‘Establishing Editor’ for Literary Journal
Queensland University of Technology (QUT) has named Dr Ashley Hay as the establishing editor of the literary journal *Meanjin*, marking the publication’s return to Brisbane after eight decades in Melbourne. Hay, a former *Griffith Review* editor, will steer the journal’s transition,...
Adelaide Writers’ Week: Rosemarie Milsom Announced as New Director
The Adelaide Festival Corporation has named Rosemarie Milsom as director of Adelaide Writers’ Week for the 2027‑2029 festivals. Milsom, former founding director of the Newcastle Writers Festival and a member of several national literary boards, will assume the role in...
Dennis Altman: UQP Has Cancelled a Children’s Book Illustrated by Matt Chun, Citing Antisemitism
The University of Queensland Press (UQP) has halted the publication of 5,000 copies of the children’s book *Bila: A River Cycle*, illustrated by Matt Chun, after the illustrator’s anti‑fascist article was deemed inconsistent with the university’s adopted definition of antisemitism. The...
Dracula Bites: West Australian Ballet Performs to Recorded Music in Adelaide
The West Australian Ballet’s Adelaide run of *Dracula* (April 17‑22) will be performed to a pre‑recorded soundtrack rather than a live orchestra, sparking criticism from the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA). The union, backed by over 500 musicians across...
Sex Work Gets the Respect It Deserves in Margo’s Got Money Troubles
Apple TV+ debut *Margo’s Got Money Troubles* stars Elle Fanning as a 17‑year‑old college student who turns to OnlyFans after an unexpected pregnancy and a sudden loss of income. The drama, based on Rufi Thorpe’s novel, blends personal hardship with a...
Sororicidal Review: Edwina Preston Mines the Very Relatable Desire to Kill Your Sister
Edwina Preston’s novel *Sororicidal* charts the volatile bond between sisters Mary and Margot from a 1915 Adelaide vineyard to their twilight years. The story shifts between the sisters’ viewpoints, exposing how memory reshapes truth and how artistic ambition fuels resentment....
In the Quiet Review: Adelaide Symphony Orchestra Premieres a Superb Concerto
The Adelaide Symphony Orchestra’s second Symphony Series concert, *In The Quiet*, featured the world premiere of Joe Chindamo’s 20‑minute *Concerto del Motore*, a three‑movement work for clarinet that celebrates the power of engines. Principal clarinettist Dean Newcomb, in his 16th year...
Sanctuary Series Review: Relaxing to the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra on a Yoga Mat
The Adelaide Symphony Orchestra’s Sanctuary Series transforms the traditional concert hall into a meditative space, allowing audiences to listen from yoga mats or seats. The latest "Nordic Lights" program blended familiar classics with contemporary Australian works, all performed under conductor...
Hey Orwell: Thousands of AI‑written, Edited or ‘Polished’ Books Are Being Sold
A class‑action settlement will force Anthropic, the creator of Claude, to pay up to $1.5 billion for allegedly infringing thousands of authors' copyrights. The article shows how AI chatbots can not only regurgitate content but also imitate an author's distinctive voice,...
Painted Up: This Vibrant Exhibition Challenges Colonial Perceptions of Aboriginal Art
Dean Biŋkin Tyson’s CREATE EXCHANGE: Painted Up, on view at Redland Art Gallery, showcases a vibrant blend of traditional ochre, animal skins, and contemporary acrylics to tell Indigenous stories through paint, body‑marking and artefacts. The exhibition expands Aboriginal art beyond...
Anna Poletti, Hello, World? Author: ‘Sexual Desire Is so Inconvenient and Ungovernable’
Anna Poletti’s debut novel hello, world? is positioned as a feminist erotic work that interrogates desire, power and the rise of fascism through the bodies of its protagonists. The story follows Seasonal, an Australian feminist, and László, a bisexual Hungarian exile, as...
Luke Cornish (ELK) Wins the 2026 Gallipoli Art Prize
Sydney artist Luke Cornish, known as ELK, captured the 2026 Gallipoli Art Prize with his aerosol painting "No Rest (The Vandalism of Deir al Balah)". The $20,000 acquisitive award, presented by the Gallipoli Memorial Club, recognizes works that engage with...
ArtsHub Job Insights: The Most In-Demand Arts Jobs and Salaries in 2025
ArtsHub’s 2025 job market report shows a 150% surge in leadership and programming roles, while administration positions grew 110% year‑on‑year. These three categories now account for roughly 29% of all advertised arts jobs, with Victoria and New South Wales absorbing...
On the Move: Latest Arts Sector Appointments
Sydney’s City Recital Hall appointed Phillippa Martin Reiter as its inaugural Director of Programming and Events, tasked with raising venue utilisation. In Darwin, John Glenn takes the helm as CEO of the AANT Centre, bringing two decades of senior arts leadership....
The Last Ship Review: Sting Performs His ‘Deeply Personal’ Musical in Brisbane
Sting’s autobiographical musical *The Last Ship* opens at Brisbane’s Glasshouse Theatre, where he also performs the lead role of foreman Jackie White. The production, refreshed with a new book by Barney Norris and Lorne Campbell, tightens the narrative around the...
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...
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...