Contemporary textiles

We’re delighted to share that Sera Waters has been selected as one of 10 finalists in the 2025 Wangaratta Contemporary Textile Award.

The Wangaratta Contemporary Textile Award celebrates the diversity and strength of Australian textile art. Now in its ninth iteration, the Wangaratta Contemporary Textile Award was initially established to mark Wangaratta's long and prominent history of textile manufacturing and craft making. In furthering this unique tradition and social history the award celebrates and strengthens the development of contemporary textile practice in Australia. With the significant investment of project partners, the Kyamba Foundation, prize money now stands at $40,000, representing the richest textile prize in Australia.

The 2025 finalists, selected from over 430 entries Australia wide, are contemporary artists who not only demonstrate a mastery of technique in a broad textile medium, but innovation and excellence alongside a rigorous and robust conceptual practice.

The Wangaratta Contemporary Textile Award 2025 will open on Saturday 24 May 2025 with the winner announced that day. The exhibition continues until 17 August 2025.

Pictured: Sera Waters in her studio, 2020. Photography by Sia Duff

Please join us for the launch of Kate Just’s ‘50 Rules for Making Art’ and Fiona Roberts’ ‘Hereafter’ at Hugo Michell Gallery on Thursday 23rd May from 6-8pm, with an artist talk with Kate Just at 6pm to launch her accompanying publication.
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Kate Just
50 Rules for Making Art

‘50 Rules for Making Art’ is a series of 50 brightly coloured, hand knitted, square panels of text. About this series, Kate shares: “The rules look like knitted post-it-notes or reminders to self. The texts are in my own handwriting. I drew each text onto a knitting grid before stitching each panel. This series was made during the year I turned 50. While knitting, I reflected on the number of years I’ve lived and the many lessons I’ve learned about making art.”
Artist talk with Kate Just at 6pm to launch her accompanying publication.
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Fiona Roberts
Hereafter

‘Hereafter’ explores humanity's eternal quest for psychological and physical safety, manifested through the interplay of symbolism, superstitions, rituals and belief systems. Drawing upon symbolic representations of life and existence beyond, Roberts explores the profound existential inquiries that have plagued human consciousness throughout history.

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Hugo Michell Gallery are proud to partner with Bird in Hand Winery for this opening event.

Please join us in celebrating the launch of these two exhibitions!

Hugo Michell Gallery acknowledges the Kaurna people as the traditional custodians of the Adelaide region, and that their cultural and heritage beliefs are still as important to the living Kaurna people today.