Send us a text Kirsteen Pieterse is a sculptor who grew up near the mining pits of Glasgow and lived and worked in the bustling industrial city of Hong Kong, resulting in her amazing sculptures which integrate and contrast brutalist architecture with organic form. ‘The Scottish sculptor Kirsteen Pieterse, who is an artist in the Romantic tradition, draws upon the precarious relationship between man and built environments in her work....she draws attention to the regard we hold for our envir...
Send us a text In this episode, we chat with the extraordinary Aida Tomescu, one of Australia’s most respected abstract painters. Born in Romania and based in Sydney, Aida has spent her career exploring the emotional and structural possibilities of paint, building a language that’s as physical as it is poetic. We talk about her process: the scraping, layering, and reworking that give her paintings their dense, luminous surfaces. She describes painting as a living conversation, one that demand...
Send us a text Aaron Aryadharma Matheson is an artist living and working at Lennox St Studios, Sydney. He’s been a finalist in the Mosman, Waverley and Waterhouse prizes, and picked up the Richard Ford Travel Award along the way. He studied drawing at the Prince’s Drawing School in London, and later completed a Master of Fine Art at the National Art School in Sydney. This podcast is about art, Buddhism, and living with a chronic illness,multiple sclerosis, and how all those things come togeth...
Send us a text In this episode of Art Wank, we focus on Australian artists Michelle Cawthorn and Peter Sharp and their recent creative residency at the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation in Connecticut, USA. Together, they reflect on how this experience produced a new body of work and the opportunity to explore the foundations archives. During her residency at the Albers Foundation, Cawthorn immersed herself in collage of birds and particularly focussed on the work of Anni Albers. Sharp ...
Send us a text In this episode we explore the work and world of Australian artist John R Walker, a painter who invites us to experience the land as a living and layered presence rather than just a view. Born in Sydney in 1957 and now based in Braidwood, New South Wales, Walker’s journey has taken him from city life to a deep engagement with rural environments. His art connects ecology, geology, and memory, revealing what he calls “the experience of being in country.” Walker is known for his l...
Send us a text In this episode we speak with Michael Cusack, an accomplished abstract painter, educator, and co-founder of the Byron School of Art in Mullumbimby. Michael’s career has spanned over three decades, with his paintings exhibited widely across Australia and internationally. His work is represented in major public and private collections, and he is known for his richly layered abstractions that explore colour, form, and the tension between control and chance. Michael began teaching ...
Send us a text In this episode of the Art Wank Podcast we chat with Sydney-based artist Gina Bruce, known for her haunting, dreamlike paintings that play between strength and subtlety. Gina works across a variety of media, often returning to the same places to capture their changing moods and connections to identity. Her works are bold in mark-making yet beautifully delicate in atmosphere, creating that unique balance she’s become recognised for. We talk about her journey into art, including ...
Send us a text We spoke with artists Gary Gregg and Gary Deirmendijan, together with curator and director Miguel Olmo, about Repair/Replace, the current exhibition at Gallery Lane Cove. Our conversation touched on the curatorial process, the role of found objects in art, and the unexpected significance they can hold. Gary Gregg shared insights into his collages made from studio detritus, and the ways these works sit alongside his painting practice. We also discussed pieces that Gary Deirmendj...
Send us a text In this episode of the Art Wank Podcast, we sit down with Michael Kempson, one of Australia’s leading master printers. With a career spanning over three decades, Michael has made a profound impact on the field of printmaking through his own practice as well as his work as a mentor, collaborator and educator. Michael is best known as the founder and director of Cicada Press, an educationally focused printmaking workshop based at UNSW Art and Design. Through Cicada Press, he has ...
Send us a text In this episode of the Art Wank Podcast, we talk with acclaimed Australian artist Ana Pollak, whose practice is shaped by the natural beauty and quiet rhythms of Dangar Island, her home on the Hawkesbury River. Ana’s work evokes a strong sense of place, combining close observation with an intimate emotional connection to her surroundings. Her drawings and paintings capture shifting light on water, the textures of flora and foliage, and the subtle human gestures that weave thems...
Send us a text In this episode of the Art Wank Podcast, we celebrate the creative brilliance of the 2025 Northern Beaches Environmental Art and Design Prize winners. We speak with Renjie Teoh, this year’s Design Prize recipient, whose collaboration with artist Gary Carsley offers a fresh and thought‑provoking take on contemporary design. Although Gary was unable to join us for the recording, his influence and creative partnership with Renjie remain central to their award‑winning project. We’r...
Send us a text In this episode of Art Wank, we sit down with one of Australia’s most respected – and at times divisive – voices in the art world, John McDonald. Known for his decades-long career as an art critic and columnist, John brings sharp insight, dry humour, and a deep knowledge of art history to the conversation. We discuss the role and relevance of art prizes in today’s cultural landscape, including whether they truly reflect quality or simply reinforce trends and institutional biase...
Send us a text In this episode of the Art Wank podcast, we speak with Australian artist James Drinkwater, known for his vibrant paintings, sculpture, poetry, and music. Drinkwater, originally from Newcastle, NSW, has built a reputation for his layered, gestural works and multidisciplinary practice. He won the Brett Whiteley Travelling Art Scholarship in 2014, which allowed him to work in Paris, and he has been a finalist in the Wynne and Dobell Drawing Prizes multiple times. Our conversation ...
Send us a text In this episode, we’re joined by two key figures from Studio A—CEO Gab Mordy and artist Thom Roberts—for a lively chat about carving out space for neurodiverse artists in the contemporary art world. Thom shares insights into his recent solo exhibition in Canberra at the National Portrait Gallery, 'The Immersive World of Thom Roberts', reflecting on the ideas behind the work, how it came together, and what it’s like to see your art out in the world. We also talk about his journe...
Send us a text Katherine Edney is a Sydney-based artist whose evocative oil paintings delve into themes of identity, memory, and emotional transformation. Born in 1983, she holds a Master of Fine Arts by Research in Painting from UNSW’s College of Fine Arts (2008), as well as a Bachelor of Fine Arts with First Class Honours (2004). Edney’s work has received wide recognition in major Australian art prizes. She was a finalist in the prestigious Archibald Prize in both 2019 and 2020. Her 2019 en...
Send us a text In this episode of Art Wank, we dive into the dynamic and prolific career of Australian artist Ann Thomson, whose expressive, abstract works have made her a vital force in Australian contemporary art for over five decades. Born in 1933 in Brisbane and trained at the National Art School in Sydney, Thomson’s practice has always defied easy categorisation. Her paintings and sculptures are known for their vibrant energy, lyrical abstraction, and a deep, intuitive connection to mate...
Send us a text In this episode of Art Wank, we speak with Teresa Biet, founder (alongside her husband Andre) and director of Art Incubator – a philanthropic initiative that champions emerging Australian artists through financial support, mentorship, and increased visibility. Teresa shares her deep passion for the arts and her belief in their power to inspire change and foster community. We discuss the origins of Art Incubator, the challenges of sustaining independent arts initiatives, and wha...
Send us a text Lottie Consalvo is a deeply intuitive and reflective artist whose recent body of work has been profoundly shaped by time spent meditating and working in the Australian bush. Her latest exhibition, Long Dawn, recently shown at her Sydney gallery Nanda Hobbs, reveals the contemplative power of being immersed in nature — where solitude, stillness, and the landscape become integral to her process. In this episode, we speak with Lottie about the evolution of her multidisciplinary pr...
Send us a text In this episode of Art Wank, we delve into the world of Australian landscape painter David Collins, whose latest solo exhibition, Brevity, is currently on view at Defiance Gallery in Sydney from May 3 to 24, 2025 . Collins has been a significant figure in the Australian art scene since the early 1990s . Residing on Dangar Island in the Hawkesbury River since 1987, his daily interactions with the river—often by rowboat—deeply inform his artistic practice . His works are known fo...
Send us a text In this episode of Art Wank, we sit down with Sydney-based artist Matt Bromhead to dive into his multidisciplinary practice, which spans drawing, sculpture, and painting. Known for his expressive use of materials and intuitive mark-making, Matt shares insights into his creative process, his influences, and how his work explores form, space, and texture. We chat about: 🎨 His journey as an artist and how he developed his distinctive aesthetic. 🪵 The relationship betwe...