Greetings from Wollongong

Curated by Kaylene Milner with Louise Brand, Aneshka Mora and Daniel Mudie Cunningham

14 June - 31 August 2025

Wollongong has long been a nucleus of social consciousness, where the power of grassroots activism meets the force of visual culture. The working-class roots of the Illawarra region, deeply intertwined with steel-city labour politics and diverse communities, have nurtured a vibrant political and creative scene.

Greetings from Wollongong celebrates this rich history, highlighting the intersection of protest and politics with the vital energies of party and play. Wollongong-born designer, musician and WAH-WAH fashion label founder, Kaylene Milner, leads a curatorium to unpack this through the WAG collection rounded out with a selection of invited artists from beyond the Illawarra.

Iconic collection works from Redback Graphix (1979–1994) and a survey of the films of local director Mary Callaghan (1955–2016) form the central focus from which a larger group show emerges, examining the aesthetic language of social change here and elsewhere, past and present.

Through music, film, fashion, and art, this WAG-WAH collaboration explores the enduring spirit of resistance and expression that defines Wollongong’s identity as part of a broader national conversation about social and political change.

Presented by Wollongong Art Gallery with the support of The Keir Foundation and the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia.

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Image: Redback Graphix, Greetings from Wollongong, 1982 (detail of poster for film by Mary Callaghan), colour screenprint on white wove paper. Collection Wollongong Art Gallery. Purchased 1987.