What's On at John Curtin Gallery

The 2026 National Reconciliation Week theme `All In` is a call to move beyond the sidelines and take part in reconciliation through our actions, conversations and commitment to a shared future.

Exhibitions and events across the gallery invite reflection, conversation and connection.👇

➡️ Explore Longing and Hope, curated by Curtin Fine Art students.

➡️ Take a guided tour through the Once Known exhibition.

➡️ Join artist Christopher Pease and Curator Lia McKnight as they discuss his latest survey exhibition Terra Nullius.

Reconciliation will not happen by itself, and it will not happen without all of us. 💛

🔗 Event information via link in bio.

@mioangela @rubycason.zip @brandon.clarke29 @zalimorganart @curtinbfagrads @curtinalumni @bfplperth @lotterywest @colgateuniversity @perthartlist @universityartmuseumsaustralia @curtinlifeaustralia @curtinalumni @curtinuniversity @perth.art.seeker @chris_pease

The artwork for the 2026 National Reconciliation Week campaign is by renowned Gumbaynggirr/Bundjalung artist Otis Hope Carey, who applied his distinctive style to create a colourful and optimistic visual representation of people from all walks of life being ‘all in’ to make change.

To look back is not merely an exercise in retrospection; it is a necessary step in understanding the present and shaping more than just the future. 
 
Experience Longing and Hope from 29 May to 23 August at John Curtin Gallery. 🙌
 
Curated by Curtin University Fine Art students Brandon Clarke, Ruby Cason and Mio Gadon, the exhibition explores the legacy of the Carrolup child artists through works that speak to resilience, creativity and connection to Country.
 
Responding to the 2026 National Reconciliation Week theme, All In, Longing and Hope invites visitors to reflect on truth-telling, remembrance and our shared role in reconciliation. 💛
 
📍 John Curtin Gallery, free open to the public
📅 29 May – 23 August 2026
🔗Find out more via the link in bio!
 
@mioangela @rubycason.zip @brandon.clarke29 @zalimorganart @curtinbfagrads @curtinalumni @bfplperth @lotterywest @colgateuniversity

Install on film! ✌️✨

A sneak peak at the JCG install team working their magic in preparation for our Djeran - Djilba season exhibitions.

We can`t wait to share new large-scale works from @chris_pease and two major multi-channel video works by @rekorennie.

Christopher Pease: Terra Nullius and Reko Rennie: OA_RR open Friday 29 May! 👀

Find out more via link in bio 🔗

Artist Talk Sunday 31 May 🗣️
 
Join Minang/Wardandi/Bibbulmun artist Christopher Pease and JCG Curator Lia McKnight as they discuss Pease’s survey exhibition Terra Nullius.
 
Drawing from museum archives and 19th-century colonial landscape painting, this exhibition powerfully transforms a colonial fiction of “nobody’s land”. Pease reworks images that once framed Western Australia as empty and available for settlement, reinscribing Indigenous presence into landscapes through bold Noongar iconography.
 
Exhibition on show at John Curtin Gallery from 29 May – 23 August. ✨

📆- Sunday 31 May
⏰- 2pm - 3pm
📍- John Curtin Gallery
 
RSVP via link in bio 🔗
 
@chris_pease @lia_mcknight

🎨 - Portrait of Christopher Pease by Russell Ord. Christopher Pease, The Whalers 3, oil on linen, 150 x 180 cm. Image courtesy artist and GallerySmith. Photo by Russel Ord.

Join us as we welcome our latest exhibitions on Thursday 28 May 💛
 
Featuring new large-scale works from @chris_pease and two major multi-channel video works by @rekorennie !
 
We will also be welcoming Longing and Hope, an exhibition of Carrolup artworks curated by Curtin Fine Art students. 👏 @curtinbfagrads
 
Thursday 28 May 2026
5:30pm – 7:30pm
Free event, open to the public, complimentary refreshments provided.
 
🔗 RSVP link in bio!
 
➡️  Christopher Pease: Terra Nullius transforms a legal fiction of dispossession into a vivid assertion of Noongar sovereignty, resilience, and enduring connection to Country.
 
➡️ Reko Rennie: OA_RR blends urban car culture, ancestral motifs, and personal memory into bold, cinematic experiences.
 
See you there! ✨
 
🗓️ Exhibition Open: 29 May - 23 August 2026

@perthartlist @universityartmuseumsaustralia @curtinlifeaustralia @curtinalumni @curtinuniversity @perth.art.seeker

That`s a wrap! 👏

A call and response across the ocean, part of Perth Festival 2026, has officially come to an end!

We hope you enjoyed the rhythms, stories and scents of the Indian Ocean, and experienced the reunion of friendships and kin ties severed through transglobal acts of colonisation.

Through immersive installations, film, sound and historical works, A call and response across the ocean taught us of connections across continents and to reflect on the enduring legacies of cultural exchange and resilience.

🌊 Histories do not stay silent.

A huge thank you to everyone involved! 💛

@perthfest @thaniapetersen @abdi.karya @skinnyfish_music @berndt.museum @curtinbfagrads @emora_suara_sound @universityartmuseumsaustralia @before1770@susanflavellart @bumpymusic_ @worldofashe @jackychengart

📸 - @marnie__richardson, @sharonb.art, @__melmacaulay__ and Gaylene Galardi.

Drop-in to Chronically Crafty, Wednesday May 6! ✨
 
Join us in the Kattidj Nagãr (Peacful Quiet Reflection) space for a end of season Chronically Crafty session.
 
This is a relaxed, drop-in craft session for people with disability and neurodivergent communities, this creative session is always open to anyone who would like to create in a quiet, welcoming environment. 🧶
 
Bring whatever you’re working on (knitting, drawing, mending, journaling, beading — anything goes) and create at your own pace. No pressure. No expectations. Just time and space.
 
📍John Curtin Gallery - Wednesday 6 May - 12pm - 2pm
 
Facilitated by disabled artist, academic and advocate @jordanalice___
 
💛 Come when you can
💛 Leave when you need
💛 Everyone welcome
 
🔗 Register via link in bio! 
 
Chronically Crafty will take place on the first Wednesday during semester.

@curtinlifeaustralia @curtinbfagrads
 
#ChronicallyCrafty #AccessibleArts #PerthCreatives #communitycare

Exclusive screening of Before 1770! 🎬

Celebrate the end of our Perth Festival exhibition, A call and response across the ocean, and join us for a screening of this feature documentary!

Through vivid storytelling and immersive re-enactments, Before 1770 delves into themes of transglobal colonisation and cultural memory, offering a powerful perspective on the historical friendships and kin ties between northern Australia and Makassar.

Event Details:
🗓️ Sunday 3 May 2026
⏰ 1:30pm – 4pm
Free event, open to the public

For more information, and to register, head to the link in bio! 💛

@perthfest @thaniapetersen @before1770 @abdi.karya @skinnyfish_music @curtinbfagrads @perthartlist @universityartmuseumsaustralia

#before1770 #filmscreening #university