Grace Hartigan: The Gift of Attention
We visited North Carolina's Museum of Art in April 2025, where we interviewed Jared Ledesma, Curator of 20th-Century Art and Contemporary Art, about his exhibition "Grace Hartigan: The Gift of Attention."
Art
Art shapes how we see and understand the world. From painting and sculpture to photography and digital media, Clever Planet highlights the work of Australian artists, past and present. This page is for educators, students, and anyone passionate about art, offering insights into techniques, ideas, and creative practices. Whether you’re discovering new artists or exploring your own creativity, this is a space to engage with and celebrate Australian art.
Melissa Loughnan's vision for MAF26
MAF25 marked Melbourne Art Fair’s transition to an annual format, combining curatorial depth with commercial focus. Under new director Melissa Loughnan, the fair redefined space, flow, and engagement in a revitalised vision for contemporary Australian art.
Allan Mitelman's resonance of surface
Allan Mitelman’s abstract art explores texture, colour, and surface through paintings, drawings, and innovative printmaking. His nuanced, non-figurative works encourage direct sensory engagement, inviting contemplation of materiality, gesture, and subtle visual rhythms without narrative constraint.
Frida Kahlo: More than a portrait
Frida Kahlo's life and legacy unfold in a powerful new exhibition at the Bendigo Art Gallery. "In Her Own Image" reveals how Kahlo transformed pain into creative power through fashion, photography, and fiercely personal artworks.
Traversing Terrains: Arc One's Thoughtful Presence at MAF25
Arc One Gallery presented Janet Laurence's ecological works, Marina Rolfe's perceptual paintings, and John Young's historical explorations. This curation showcased Arc One's dedication to rich Australian contemporary art, reflecting on environment, perception, and cultural narratives.
Paul Yore: Confronting taboos through queer maximalism
Paul Yore creates provocative textile art that combines traditional craft techniques with contemporary cultural critique. Represented by STATION gallery, his maximalist works challenge Australian identity, consumer culture, and sexual politics through meticulous craftsmanship and bold imagery.
Kirstie Rea: In the Company of Nature.
Kirstie Rea’s In the Company of Nature at Melbourne Art Fair 2025 explores the Australian landscape through kiln-formed glass sculptures. Her artworks capture nature’s fluidity and subtle beauty, inviting reflection on humanity’s connection with the environment through delicate forms and textures.
Vermilion Art: A Focus on Contemporary Chinese Voices
Vermilion Art, Sydney's Chinese contemporary art pioneer, showcased Chen Wenling's satirical sculptures and Gao Ping's fusion of Eastern/Western styles at Melbourne Art Fair 2025.
Neon Parc at Melbourne Art Fair 2025: A Dialogue with Modernity
Neon Parc's Melbourne Art Fair 2025 stand featured Damiano Bertoli, Diena Georgetti, and Janet Burchill/Jennifer McCamley, showcasing their engagement with Modernism, abstraction, and the concept of time.
Hannah Gartside: Bunnies in Love, Lust, and Longing
Australian artist Hannah Gartside’s exhibition Bunnies in Love, Lust & Longing at MAF 2025 transforms vintage leather gloves into sculptures exploring intimacy, desire, and vulnerability. Her textile practice thoughtfully invites reflection on identity, memory, and repurposed materials.
Hugo Michell Gallery MAF 2025
At the 2025 Melbourne Art Fair, Hugo Michell Gallery, under Jenna Pippett's direction, showcased artists Sam Gold and Zaachariaha Fielding. Gold, a queer non-binary artist, uses ceramics to explore the body and identity. Fielding, of Mimili, blends Aboriginal traditions with contemporary themes.
Sam Gold: Reshaping Australian Ceramics
Sam Gold creates sculptural ceramic vessels that challenge traditions through experimental techniques and textured surfaces. Based in Adelaide and represented by Hugo Michell Gallery, Gold's ecological practice was recently showcased at Melbourne Art Fair.
Arthouse Gallery
Ali Yeldham’s Arthouse Gallery showcased Robyn Sweaney’s architectural paintings and Kendal Murray’s whimsical tableau miniatures at the Melbourne Art Fair 2025, thoughtfully highlighting rich and diverse artistic narratives in Australian contemporary visual art.
Andrew Rogers
Andrew Rogers creates monumental geoglyphs across seven continents in his "Rhythms of Life" project, employing local communities to build massive stone structures that merge contemporary artistic vision with ancient techniques and cultural symbols visible from aerial perspectives.
Utopian Slumps REDUX
Melbourne curator Melissa Loughnan's Utopian Slumps gallery transformed from a non-profit space in a dingy Collingwood alley to a respected commercial enterprise representing fifteen artists internationally, exemplifying the creative tension between artistic idealism and market realities.
When Flesh Meets Fair
Oigåll Projects transformed the 2025 Melbourne Art Fair’s VIP Lounge into a peach-toned, inflatable wonder. Blending art, design, and architecture, the space redefines what a gallery can be; immersive, sustainable, and playfully profound.