News

Justine Varga has been announced as a finalist in the 2025 Bowness Photography Prize
01
Sep

Justine Varga has been announced as a finalist in the 2025 Bowness Photography Prize

We’re thrilled that Justine Varga has been announced as a finalist in the 2025 Bowness Photography Prize, presented by the Museum of Australian Photography (MAPh).

Now in its 20th anniversary, The William and Winifred Bowness Photography Prize is an important annual survey of contemporary photographic practice in Australia and one of the most prestigious prizes in the country. The winning work will be awarded $50,000 and will be acquired into Monash Gallery of Art’s nationally significant collection of Australian photographs.

An exhibition of the finalist works will be on display from at Monash Gallery of Art from 13 September to 9 November 2025.

Enquiries to mail@hugomichellgallery.com


Pictured: Justine Varga, Time Immemorial (126,749 years), 2024-25, chromogenic photograph, 203 x 89 cm

Sam Gold and Paul Yore announced as FINALISTS in the 2025 Fisher's Ghost Art Award
20
Aug

Sam Gold and Paul Yore announced as FINALISTS in the 2025 Fisher's Ghost Art Award

We excited to share that Sam Gold and Paul Yore are both finalists in the Fisher’s Ghost Art Award, presented by Campbelltown Arts Centre.

The Fisher’s Ghost Art Award is an annual art award and exhibition inviting artists to submit works in a variety of artistic categories and mediums. Now in its 63rd year, there is over $60,000 in prize money to be won across the categories. In 2025, the celebrated Open Award, which is acquisitive to the Campbelltown City Council Art Collection, is valued at $50,000.

An exhibition of the finalist works will be on display from 27 September until 21 November 2025 at Campbelltown Arts Centre.

Pictured: Sam Gold, The marrow in the tide, slowly spills into the mouth of love, 2024, porcelain and glaze, 185 x 170 x 18 cm variable, photo by Connor Patterson; Paul Yore, Sydney Opera House (Feeling Is The Truth), 2025, mixed media assemblage on board comprising plastic, glass, fabric, trim, cotton thread, LED light, wood, synthetic polymer, adhesive, and fixtures, 110 x 186 x 13 cm, photography by Sam Roberts
Paul Yore announced as Finalist in ‘STILL: National Still Life Award’ for 2025, presented by Yarrila Arts & Museum in Coffs Harbour, NSW.
17
Aug

Paul Yore announced as Finalist in ‘STILL: National Still Life Award’ for 2025, presented by Yarrila Arts & Museum in Coffs Harbour, NSW.

We’re excited to share that Paul Yore is a finalist in ‘STILL: National Still Life Award’ for 2025, presented by Yarrila Arts & Museum in Coffs Harbour, NSW.

‘STILL: National Still Life Award’ is Yarrila Arts and Museum’s national biennial acquisitive art award. Established in 2017, STILL aims to recognise excellence, diversity and innovation in contemporary still life practice while broadening the interpretation of this enduring genre.

An exhibition of finalist works will be presented from 6 September to 9 November 2025 at Yarrila Arts and Museum, Coffs Harbour, NSW.

Pictured: Paul Yore, Big M (Strawberry) (installation view), 2025, mixed media assemblage on board comprising plastic, glass, wood, synthetic polymer, adhesive, and fixtures, 128 x 54 x 54 cm. Photography by Sam Roberts

Clara Adolphs’ on the front cover of RUSSH Magazine
15
Aug

Clara Adolphs’ on the front cover of RUSSH Magazine

We’re delighted that Clara Adolphs’ work is featured on the front cover of the recent issue of RUSSH Magazine.

Guest edited by Tamsin Johnson, this issue honours the intrepid; those travelling distant landscapes or nostalgic, well-traipsed paths. About this ‘RUSSH Home’ issue, the magazine shares: “For us, travel, in its truest form, broadens not only our experiences but the boundaries of our imagination. It’s a window to fresh perspectives, meaningful connections, and enriching our creative pursuits.”

Clara Adolphs’ upcoming solo exhibition ‘Sleep Shadows’ will be presented at Hugo Michell Gallery from 21st August to 20th September 2025.

Preview requests to mail@hugomichellgallery.com

Pre-orders of this issue of are available through the RUSSH Magazine website.

Pictured: Clara Adolphs, School Boy I (Detail), 2024, oil on linen, 52 x 52.5cm

Hugo Michell Gallery Opening: Clara Adolphs + Drew Spangenberg
14
Aug

Hugo Michell Gallery Opening: Clara Adolphs + Drew Spangenberg

Please join us for the launch of Clara Adolphs’ ‘Sleep Shadows’ and Drew Spangenberg’s ‘Containers’ on Thursday 21st August, 6-8pm.

CLARA ADOLPHS
Sleep Shadows

In this new body of work, Clara Adolphs turns inward, exploring the quiet threshold between memory and imagination. “I often see myself in the people that I paint, or find something familiar about them,” she explains. “I wanted to draw into this focus with the show.”

Working from photographs both found and taken, Adolphs isolates figures from their original contexts and places them in new, intimate compositions that speak to a silent conversation between artist and subject. “Perhaps the repetition of painting brings me closer to them?” Melding borrowed memories with her own, she has been led by a desire to distil moments into feeling, creating a sense of quiet contemplation.

DREW SPANGENBERG
Containers

‘Containers’ celebrates the vessel primarily as an object of aesthetic value rather than function. While rooted in utility, these forms have a visual focus, elevated beyond their practical origins. Each piece retains its capacity to function as a container honouring the history of the vessel while embracing contemporary reinterpretation.

Spangenberg is a contemporary glass artist based in Adelaide, South Australia. His work combines traditional glassblowing techniques with a refined contemporary aesthetic, defined by clean lines, harmonious forms, and a considered approach to colour and composition.

This project has been supported by Create SA.
Clara Adolphs, Moonrise, 2025, oil on linenHugo Michell Gallery are proud to partner with Bird in Hand Winery for this opening event.

These exhibitions are presented as part of every*where, Adelaide Design Week 2025.

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.
Paul Yore announced as FINALIST in Deakin University Contemporary Small Sculpture Award
18
Jul

Paul Yore announced as FINALIST in Deakin University Contemporary Small Sculpture Award

We're delighted to share that Paul Yore is a finalist in the Deakin University Contemporary Small Sculpture Award for 2025, congratulations Paul!

The Deakin University Contemporary Small Sculpture Award, established in 2009, is organised by the Art Collection and Galleries Unit at Deakin University, Victoria. The award celebrates contemporary sculptures from artists around Australia, culminating in an exhibition of finalists' work held in August to October each year at the Deakin University Art Gallery.

The finalist exhibition will be presented from 27 August to 10 October 2025 at the Deakin University Art Gallery, Melbourne Burwood Campus.

Paul Yore's 'SOUVENIR' at Hugo Michell Gallery, 2025.


Pictured: Paul Yore, Vegemite Jar (installation view), 2025, acrylic yarn needlepoint, cotton thread, and board, 18.5 x 15 x 15 cm, ed. of 5 + AP. Photography by Sam Roberts

Fiona McMonagle announced as FINALIST in The Lester Prize
18
Jul

Fiona McMonagle announced as FINALIST in The Lester Prize

Congratulations to Fiona McMonagle, who has been announced as a finalist in The Lester Prize for 2025 with her painting ‘Eve #2’!

About this series, Fiona shares: “In patriarchal systems, women unconsciously absorb and enforce sexist beliefs, creating divisions and perpetuating cycles of blame and shame. Disappointingly, such judgment often comes from within the community of women, fuelled by internalised misogyny.

This body of work, Eve, explores these dynamics, depicting women’s faces boldly and unapologetically, inspired by the confrontational format of mugshots. These raw portraits, painted with fluid acrylics on raw canvas, reflect society’s tendency to label and shame women. The work challenges viewers to confront their biases and complicity in this culture of judgment.”

The exhibition will be on display from 19 September - 16 November 2025 at the Western Australian Museum, Boola Bardip.

Pictured: Fiona McMonagle's 'Eve' at Hugo Michell Gallery, 2025. Photography by Tobias Titz

Hugo Michell Gallery Opening: Zaachariaha Fielding + Daniel Emma
16
Jul

Hugo Michell Gallery Opening: Zaachariaha Fielding + Daniel Emma

Please join us for the launch of Zaachariaha Fielding’s ‘Ngangkali (Night Sky)’ and Daniel Emma’s ‘World Expo 2025’ on Thursday 24th July from 6-8pm, presented as part of the 2025 South Australian Living Artists Festival.
Zaachariaha Fielding
Ngangkali (Night Sky)

Zaachariaha Fielding's solo exhibition ‘Ngangkali (Night Sky)’ continues his exploration of ancestral narratives and songlines. His paintings pay homage to his inherited Tjukurpa (ancestral knowledge and law) through a vivid palette and expressive use of Pitjantjatjara language.

Fielding is a multidisciplinary artist, originally from the Mimili Community in the Aṉangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands of South Australia, currently working out of the APY Collective Art Centre. Widely recognised as the frontman of the electronic musical duo ‘Electric Fields’, his visual arts practice has gained momentum in recent years, having exhibited at prominent Australian institutions such as the National Gallery of Victoria, Art Gallery of New South Wales, and Art Gallery of South Australia, in additional to international presentations.

DANIEL EMMA
World Expo 2025

‘World Expo 2025’ captures the unique moments intertwined with exploring new places and the experiences shared, resulting in a still life scene of furniture and objects embodying magic memories.
Daniel To and Emma Aiston established the design studio Daniel Emma in 2008 as a platform to express their ideas through Industrial Design. The studio engages in a wide range of projects, from desk objects to large-scale installations. With a focus on creating the unexpected from simple objects and forms, Daniel Emma draws inspiration from the rich and diverse culture of Australia. Their designs aim to be “just nice,” blending subtlety with originality.
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.
Janet Laurence announced as WINNER of the Ravenswood Australian Women's Art Prize 2025
24
Jun

Janet Laurence announced as WINNER of the Ravenswood Australian Women's Art Prize 2025

Congratulations to Janet Laurence who has been announced as the Winner of the Ravenswood Australian Women’s Art Prize for 2025 with her work ‘‘Moss Water Ice Temperature Rising’!

Patron and judge Jade Oakley praised Laurence’s winning piece for presenting “a powerful message about climate change, addressing notions of care and healing for our natural world.” The work’s translucent paint and printed photographic imagery speak to nature’s fragility, while gestural, poured paint demonstrates human impact on the landscape—a reminder of melting, dissolving, and hoped-for rehydration and nurturing.

The Ravenswood Australian Women’s Art Prize is an annual acquisitive prize, launched in 2017 to advance art and opportunity for emerging and established women artists in Australia. It is the highest-value professional artist prize for women in Australia.

The finalist artworks will be on display from 21 June to 6 July 2025 at the Ravenswood School for Girls in Gordon, Sydney.
Pictured: Janet Laurence, Moss water ice temperature rising, 2024, chromogenic print, oil paint, acrylic, 150 x 100 cm
Hugo Michell Gallery Open: Maningrida Arts & Culture Group Exhibition + Josephine Burak
12
Jun

Hugo Michell Gallery Open: Maningrida Arts & Culture Group Exhibition + Josephine Burak

Please join us on Thursday 18 June 6-8pm for the launch of ‘Living Waters’, an exhibition by Maningrida Arts & Culture artists Maureen Ali, Nola Garrba, Lorna Jin-gubarranguyja, Sylvia Marrgawaidj, Anniebell Marrngamarrnga, Jennifer Brown, and Indra Prudence. We’re also delighted to launch ‘Yiminga Ampirnipapurti - Sunrise’, a solo exhibition by Josephine Burak from Munupi Arts.
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Maureen Ali, Nola Garrba, Lorna Jin-gubarranguyja, Sylvia Marrgawaidj, Anniebell Marrngamarrnga, and Jennifer Brown
Living Waters

‘Living Waters’ presents a powerful body of work that speaks to the deep interconnection between culture, Country, and ancestral knowledge. Working from Maningrida Community and the surrounding homelands in central Arnhem Land, these artists maintain and reinterpret the enduring weaving traditions of fish trap and net making. These skills are passed down through generations of women and intrinsically tied to the seasonal rhythms of freshwater and saltwater life.
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Josephine Burak
Yiminga Ampirnipapurti - Sunrise

Emerging with a quiet strength from the Tiwi Islands, Josephine Burak's first solo exhibition marks a significant recognition of her practice. Working from Munupi Arts on Melville Island, she is the daughter of respected custodian of traditional medical knowledge, Lydia Burak. Having gained her mothers’ carving skills as well as painting skills Josephine Burak often prepares her own pwoja (comb, painting tool) to shape it to her exact needs.
Burak’s practice is deeply rooted in ancestral knowledge, Tiwi cosmology, and lived experience. Her paintings honour traditional bark painting techniques and often feature the significant Kulama Ceremony and her designs are also wonderfully reminiscent of astronomic star charts.

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

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.

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