symbiosis: the Northcote Penguins

Arts Project Australia
2024 Miegunyah Creative Fellowship 

This exhibition is the culmination of the 2024 Miegunyah Creative Fellowship with Arts Project Australia. Artist group, The Northcote Penguins, was invited to investigate and respond to decorative arts, furniture and personal items in the Grimwade Collection, which was bequeathed to the University of Melbourne by Sir Russell and Mab Grimwade. Visiting the Collection in storage, the artists selected one or more objects that sparked their interest and, through their personal practice and Art Project Australia’s Professional Practice Program, each researched and developed their own creative outcomes.  

Mark Smith collaborated with glass blower Ruth Allen to reimagine Grimwade glassware, while Christian Hansen’s bronze sculpture was inspired by a small porcelain ‘fairing’. Jordan Dymke’s self-portrait utilises mirrors from the Grimwade house Miegunyah, and Amani Tia was inspired by photographs taken by Russell Grimwade. Objects from the Collection are incorporated into an infomercial by Aidan Sefo and in collages and digital prints by Monica Lazzari and Sam Ashdown. Michael Camakaris drew inspiration from a ‘puzzle jug’ to produce a group of humorous and satirical ceramic vessels. These imaginative responses are displayed alongside the art and objects that inspired them.