Call for curators: Here + Now 6

Here + Now is a biennial exhibition series celebrating the creativity of emerging curators and artists from across the Illawarra. We are now seeking applications from emerging curators within the first 10 years of their professional practice to develop the sixth iteration of the exhibition, to be presented in September 2028.

Originally established as a platform for artists and curators under 30, Here + Now has evolved to reflect the diverse pathways into contemporary arts practice. The program recognises that creative careers develop at different stages and through a range of experiences, and has broadened the opportunity for emerging curators to participate.

Applications close on Monday 14 January 2027, and the successful curator will be notified by Monday 21 January 2027. We encourage applications from everyone regardless of gender, ethnicity, cultural background, faith, disability or gender identity.

Important information

We are seeking passionate and creative emerging local curators based in the Illawarra who are within the first 10 years of their curatorial or professional arts practice. Applicants should demonstrate their curatorial experience, knowledge of contemporary arts practice, and commitment to engaging with local artists and communities.

We encourage applications from everyone regardless of gender, ethnicity, cultural background, faith, disability or gender identity.

Your application must include:

Your CV, outlining your curatorial practice, art industry experience and education. Applicants should clearly indicate their years of professional curatorial experience and briefly demonstrate how they meet the eligibility requirement of having less than 10 years of experience in the field.
A brief proposal which includes your exhibition rationale and themes, plus ideas for exhibition public programs and events,
A list of up to five artists that may be included in the exhibition, their exhibition works will address your rationale (note: artists should also be based in the Illawarra),
Indicative images of your selected artists' works.

Email your proposal to gallery@wollongong.nsw.gov.au by 10am on Monday 14 January 2027.
Ensure the subject line of the email is '(Your Name) Here + Now 6 Exhibition Proposal'.
Please include any attachments and images in your email.

The selected curator will receive support from the Wollongong Art Gallery including:

Payment of $5,000 to the curator,
Payment of $1,000 for each of the five exhibition artists (total $5,000),
An exhibition production budget,
Curatorial mentoring from the Gallery Director and professional staff,
Marketing collateral including catalogue, digital invitation, and digital media promotion,
Support to present exhibition public programs, workshops or events,
Access to the Gallery's Artist Studio for curator and artists to hold meetings and/or temporary studio space for art making.

Proposal due: 10am Monday 14 January 2027
Successful curator notified: Monday 21 January 2027
Exhibition dates: September 2028

Note: Exhibition installation, opening event and final exhibition dates will be confirmed with the successful curator.

Previous Here + Now exhibitions

The first five iterations of Here + Now celebrated the work of emerging Illawarra curators and artists aged under 30. The biennial exhibition series has showcased diverse creative practices from across the region while supporting the development of the next generation of arts practitioners.

There’s No Place Like Home explores the complex, multi-dimensional idea of home as both a refuge and a site of conflict. It highlights the tension between home’s nurturing aspects and the discomforts it can bring. Home shapes identity, memory, belonging, and loss.

Curator: Matthew Grayson
Artists: Abbey McQueen, Alicia Nahona, Bridie Nicholls, Jess Martin, Naia Webb, William O’Toole

Addressing the ongoing impacts of colonialism - the state’s various systems of violence against Blak, queer, non-white, and other minoritised being as well as land, non-human life, and viable futures - not just by critique but by seeking to move beyond/behind/amongst coloniality.

Co-curators: Alinta Maguire and Aneshka Mora
Artists: With emerging Dharawal based artists Monisha Kumar, Angry Girl, Stephanie Beaupark, Monty Hancock, Chip, Matthew Grayson and Sarah Carr

‘Progress’ was the ethos of humanity in the Eurocentric world during the 18th and 19th centuries. Utopia was promised if people could keep developing society, technology, knowledge and science. Now, the ethos of progress has congealed into global culture and advancing technology and making more ‘stuff’ goes unquestioned.

Curator: Xanthe Barker
Artists: Elosie Cleary, Gavin Coote, Fabric & Flora, Dakota Feirer (and Anthony Smith) and Lucia Hayes

A First Nations led exhibition curated by Ngugi artist-scientist Stephanie Beaupark that brings together ten emerging Australian artists and groups of both Indigenous and non-Indigenous heritage, each with a connection to the Illawarra, New South Wales.

Curator: Stephanie Beaupark
Artists: Bella Chidlow, Will Edgar, Meahala Langlo – Brown, Alinta Maguire, Jessica Mook – Brown, The Ovuhm Collective, Tom Page, Beatrix Rowe, and Kirli Saunders

An exhibition of installation, painting and ceramics which focussed on the diversity of the practice of young artists who live, work or have an association with the Illawarra region.

Curator: Aaron Fell Fracasso
Artists: Jessica Cochrane, Tex Crick, Ebony Eden, Misha Harrison, India Mark, Paige Northwood, Nick Santoro and Chris Zanko

Image: Official opening of Here + Now 5: There's No Place Like Home curated by Matthew Grayson. Photo by Tim Baker. Image 2: Co-curators Aneshka Mora and Alinta Maguire, Here + Now 4: Ante/Anti/Post exhibition opening night. Photo by Abril Felman.