OPEN CALL - EXPRESSION OF INTEREST
DEADLINE 07TH OF NOVEMBER
Groundswell is a new platform for emergent Western Australian artistic practice.
Five to seven artists will be selected by a national curatorium for an exhibition at Vessel opening during July, 2027.
Groundswell looks at what is emerging, shifting and gathering momentum in contemporary artistic practice across Western Australia. Groundswell suggests movement and momentum: something gathering beneath the surface, emerging from the ground up. It evokes cultural and political change, grassroots activity, place, and shifting conditions, while connecting to the Naval Store’s position on the river and adjacency to WA's coastline. The title also looks forward, asking what else this place, and the practices emerging within and around it might become.
Groundswell is interested in practices that imagine alternative futures, test new forms and ways of working, respond to changing social, cultural and environmental conditions, and make visible ideas or possibilities that may only just be beginning to take shape.
Emergent refers to practices, ideas and approaches that are developing, shifting or gaining visibility within contemporary art in Western Australia. For instance:
- artists at an early stage of their careers;
- established artists whose practice is moving in a new direction;
- practices or ideas that have had limited institutional visibility;
- new forms, methodologies or interdisciplinary approaches;
- practices responding to changing cultural, social, environmental or geographic conditions;
- artists whose work could benefit from greater scale, ambition or capacity.
This is an invitation for artists to extend their practice, to develop new ideas, work at greater scale, experiment with new forms and methodologies, or bring greater visibility to practices that have not yet had significant institutional exposure. Vessel’s unique scale and architecture provides a space for artists to test possibilities and present ambitious work to new audiences.
Emergent is understood broadly. It is not defined by age or career stage, but by practices, ideas and approaches that are developing or moving in new directions. This might include an artist at an early stage of their career, an established artist pursuing a significant shift in practice, interdisciplinary or experimental approaches, or work responding to changing cultural, social, environmental and geographic conditions.
Read the whole open call here
Sharmila Wood
Sharmila Wood is an independent curator working internationally from Boorloo/Perth, Western Australia. Her curatorial practice is interdisciplinary and she has a particular interest in participatory and process-based practices, and projects that extend beyond conventional institutional contexts. She has recently worked with Independent Curators International (ICI), New York, and Khoj International Artists’ Association, New Delhi, alongside public art and cultural projects across the north-west of Western Australia.
Amelia Wallin
Amelia Wallin is an Australian curator, writer and arts researcher. She is currently a Senior Curator at the La Trobe Art Institute. Throughout her career, she has worked with key arts organisations including the Biennale of Sydney, Performa in New York, West Space, Firstdraft, Performance Space, Campbelltown Arts Centre and Performing Lines. She has also held leadership roles and has a strong interest in contemporary art, performance, feminism and developing supportive spaces for artists.
Katie West
Katie West is a Yindjibarndi artist from Western Australia who works a cross installation, textiles, sound and social practice. Her work explores connections between Country, culture, family and Indigenous knowledge, often using naturally dyed fabrics and plant materials. West has shown her work at major institutions including PICA, TarraWarra Museum of Art, the Art Gallery of Western Australia, ACCA, the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, and Carriageworks.
Josephine Skinner
Dr Josephine Skinner is an arts leader, curator and academic with over 15 years of experience in contemporary arts programming and commissioning. She has a particular interest in supporting early to mid-career artists by curating interdisciplinary presentations that bridge local and global discourses and practices. In 2017, she co-founded the contemporary art space Cement Fondu and in 2024, she co-founded Vital Commons, a curatorial agency redefining art in the public realm. She is currently Curator, Exhibitions and Programs at Artspace, Sydney. Across her roles, Josephine nurtures welcoming and innovative art platforms, supporting diverse practices and inviting critical reflection on our times.