PUBLIC PROGRAMS

PERFORMANCE – Between appearances: the art of Louise Weaver, Saturday 14 December 2pm

Between appearances: the art of Louise Weaver Dancer Michaela Pegum will activate the 1st floor Gallery performing a series of improvised movements and gestures, engaging with the art works, spaces and aural and visual elements that comprise the Between appearances: the art of Louise Weaver exhibition. Pegum’s performance draws upon the changing history of the Buxton […] READ MORE

PAST PUBLIC PROGRAMS

Italian Modern Art in the Age of Fascism book launch: Thursday 24 October, 6pm

You are cordially invited to the launch of Anthony White’s book Italian Modern Art in the Age of Fascism (New York: Routledge, 2019) This new publication, which examines the history of modern art in Italy during the rise and fall of Benito Mussolini’s fascist party, will be officially launched at Buxton Contemporary by Justin Clemens. Please […] READ MORE

UNTOLD @ Buxton Contemporary, Tuesday 15 October 6pm

We are very pleased to introduce UNTOLD @ Buxton Contemporary – a new series of talks by inspiring cultural practitioners from diverse fields programmed by Kade Mcdonald. UNTOLD is for people who are engaged or interested in the process of ideas that shape our surroundings and experiences. It is an adventure for the mind that exists […] READ MORE

Public Lecture: ‘A Friend to Artists: Jim Ede and Modern Art’, Thursday 3 October 4pm

Dr Amy Tobin, Curator of Exhibitions, Events and Research at Kettle’s Yard; Lecturer in the History of Art, University of Cambridge, UK. A Friend to Artists: Jim Ede and Modern Art. This talk is an introduction to Kettle’s Yard and its curator H.S. Jim Ede (1896-1990). It considers Ede’s life and his relationship to Modern […] READ MORE

Dylan Martorell Performance: Saturday 21 September, 11am – 2pm

Join interdisciplinary Melbourne based artist Dylan Martorell this Saturday, as part of the Bauhuas Now! exhibition, as he presents a special durational sound performance activating Michael Candy’s intricate reconstruction of the Ludwig Hirschfeld Mack’s Farbenlichtspiele (colour-light-play) (1923), a proto-performance machine originally designed for interactive play. Project gallery – Buxton Contemporary Saturday 21 September 2019 11am-2pm READ MORE

Art and Australia Issue Five launch ‘Brutalism’ – Thursday 19 September, 5.30pm

Join us for the launch of Art and Australia Issue Five (55.2) Brutalism 5.30pm – 7pm at Buxton Contemporary. To be launched at Buxton Contemporary by artist Mikala Dwyer, with ambient droning by VCA student Adam Gottlieb and aural chaos care of Bone Shaker. READ MORE

Dylan Martorell Performance: Friday 18 October, 1pm – 4pm

Join interdisciplinary Melbourne based artist Dylan Martorell as part of the Bauhuas Now! exhibition, as he presents a special durational sound performance activating Michael Candy’s intricate reconstruction of the Ludwig Hirschfeld Mack’s Farbenlichtspiele (colour-light-play) (1923), a proto-performance machine originally designed for interactive play. Project gallery – Buxton Contemporary Friday 18 October, 1pm – 4pm […] READ MORE

In Conversation: Mikala Dwyer, Justene Williams and Olaf Nicolai – Tuesday 3 September, 6pm

Please join us for an illustrated conversation exploring the influences and legacies of the Bauhaus in the work of three leading Australian and German artists: Mikala Dwyer, Justene Williams and Olaf Nicolai led by the curator of the Bauhaus Now! exhibition Ann Stephen. This conversation is made possible through the generosity of the Goethe-Institut. Olaf […] READ MORE

Writing & Concepts Lecture series, Patrick Hartigan, Saturday 7 September 3pm

Patrick Hartigan presents Shapes and Words Exploring the ways in which short prose and books have guided and been guided by his studio work. Tracing around Offcuts – a recently published collection of short fiction and memoir. Some pictures and words about time spent in a village in eastern Slovakia. This free public lecture is open […] READ MORE

Triadic dance of the secondaries, Performance: Sunday 18 August, 2pm

Join university alumni and current student dancers and musicians to witness a newly commissioned performance work by artist Shane Haseman titled Triadic dance of the secondaries. The performance explores aspects of the legacy of the Bauhaus which is widely recognised as one of the most influential currents in art, modern design, architecture and creative education. Performed […] READ MORE

Bauhaus Now! Film Program

Model & Myth 2009 by Kerstin Stutterheim and Niels Bolbrinker The film looks at the post-World War I origins of the Bauhaus and its revolutionary influence. Through interviews and archival footage, the film provides a unique insight into the essence of the Bauhaus principles, the conflict that led to the relocation from Weimar to Dessau, […] READ MORE

Writing & Concepts Lecture Series, Autumn Royal and Lucy Van, Thursday 8 August 6pm

Autumn Royal and Lucy Van present Breaking Lines We often feel distressed and — after our pain subsides — disappointed with how the condition of psychosis and people experiencing the schizophrenia spectrum have been used in writing. The guise of ‘understanding’ illness provides cover for morbid, controlling curiosities that play into sensationalised and market-driven entertainment. […] READ MORE

Open House Melbourne: Saturday 27 July & Sunday 28 July

Join us for free talks and guided tours to celebrate Open House Melbourne AND the opening weekend of Bauhaus Now! 11.30AM Saturday 27 July: Bauhaus Now! exhibition walk-through with curator Ann Stephen and Professor Philip Goad, Redmond Barry Distinguished Professor and Chair of Architecture, the University of Melbourne and a contributing editor to Architecture Australia. 1PM Sunday […] READ MORE

Research Seminar with Dr Margaret MacNamidhe: Thursday 27 June, 6.30pm

De-Skilling in Art from Benjamin Buchloh to Howard Singerman A Research Seminar with Dr Margarent MacNamidhe 6:30 pm – 7.30 pm, Education Gallery – Buxton Contemporary In this second Melbourne seminar, Dr MacNamidhe will discuss a further part of her work in progress, a book on drawing tentatively entitled “The Desk-Bound Hand: Theories of Habit and […] READ MORE

Archie Barry: National Anthem Performance Program

BREATH MARK AND MUSCLE SONG: rest and say only what’s necessary In a series of scheduled performances, Archie Barry turns a stethoscope into an instrument for amplifying their heartbeat as percussive accompaniment to their voice. The resulting song gently yields an appreciation of the way an individual body processes asynchronous rhythms of breath and blood, […] READ MORE

Panel: Art, Politics and Agency, Wednesday 19 June 5.30-7pm

This panel will bring together seven artists from the National Anthem exhibition, who in addition to their roles as visual artists also work in ways to reshape and transform public, community and institutional spaces. Moderated by Andy Butler, panelists include Kay Abude, Hoda Afshar, Archie Barry, Hoang Tran Nguyen and Steven Rhall. Hosted by the Centre of […] READ MORE

CoVA Graduate Academy, ‘Puzzles & Problems with Art Appropriation’: 30 May, 3-5pm

Appropriation is a part of the artist’s creative toolkit. When is it wrong to appropriate art? Icons patterns and objects that are part of a culture are sometimes used by art-makers and curators. They might be re-presented with or without the collaboration of permission of the source. And there may be little or no transformation […] READ MORE

In Conversation: Stephen Bram, John Nixon and Rose Nolan – Saturday 1 June, 11.30am

Stephen Bram, John Nixon and Rose Nolan are each known for their continued engagement with non-objective art. These three artists have a long association that was cemented at Store 5, a small yet influential artist-run space operating in Melbourne from 1989 to 1993. More recently, the artists shared a studio for a period of time. […] READ MORE

Eugenia Lim: National Anthem Performance Program

At scheduled intervals during the exhibition, Eugenia Lim’s gold-suited Ambassador will inhabit Buxton Contemporary. Wandering through the museum, Lim’s Ambassador will respond to the space through movement – her body a living medium between the artworks, architecture and ‘anthems’. Express your interest HERE. READ MORE

FiX performance at Buxton Contemporary – Monday 13 May, 5pm

FiX is a collaborative initiative with its origins in the Victorian College of the Arts that is motivated by the untapped potential of contemporary performance. FiX invites both emerging and established artists to showcase performance-based work, providing a flexible ethos within a fixed time-frame and location. This third presentation will unfold at Buxton Contemporary, providing […] READ MORE

‘Surpassing Modernity’ by Professor Andrew McNamara: Public Lecture, Thursday 9 May 6pm

Buxton Contemporary, in partnership with Melbourne-based publisher Discipline, are pleased to present a public lecture by Professor Andrew McNamara, based on his recently published book Surpassing Modernity: Ambivalence in Art, Politics and Society (Bloomsbury, 2018). Over the past few decades, cultural analysis has focused on developing terms to explain the surpassing of modernity. Discussion is stranded […] READ MORE

In Conversation: Saturday 23 March 11:30am

DANIEL CROOKS AND DANIEL VON STURMER Join us this Saturday for a discussion with Daniel Crooks and Daniel von Sturmer, two artists featuring in our current exhibition, A New Order. Both artists have engaged and experimented with the moving image for almost two decades, as video recording technology has evolved with the advent of smartphones […] READ MORE

Art Anywhere Symposium: Friday 22 March 9.30am – 5.30pm

A free one-day symposium event exploring art at the outermost limits of location-specificity. Today, much artistic activity takes place well outside the limits of traditional exhibition circuits. Much of this activity is more concerned with events, actions, sites, relations and processes rather than discretely exhibitable objects. Moreover, given that some artistic projects can exist as radically spatially […] READ MORE

It’s Academic: Art Publishing inside & outside the institution – Thursday 21 March 6pm

Arts publishing in Australia, and internationally, is in a constant state of flux – or crisis, depending on your perspective. This panel will consider the challenges and opportunities for both institutionally-housed and independent publications, discussing a number of Melbourne-based publications within a broader international framework. Please join CoVA for a panel discussion with Charles Esche, Rex Butler, Rosemary […] READ MORE

Artist floor talk: Saturday 9 February – 11.30am

Join artist Mira Gojak for a roaming tour of The Garden of Forking Paths: Mira Gojak and Takehito Koganezawa, this is the final public program for this exhibition. This tour will commence in the foyer at 11.30am with a brief introduction by Melissa Keys, Curator of The Garden of Forking Paths, this is a free event […] READ MORE

Gender + Art in Asia: Wednesday 30 January – 2.00pm

Presented by Buxton Contemporary and the School of Culture and Communication, The University of Melbourne in association with 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art, Sydney and the exhibition Xiao Lu: Impossible Dialogue 肖鲁:语嘿. This international workshop moderated by Claire Roberts coincides with the exhibition Xiao Lu: Impossible Dialogue (4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art, Sydney). It brings […] READ MORE

Artist floor talk: Saturday 15 December – 11.30am

Join artist Mira Gojak this Saturday for a roaming tour of The Garden of Forking Paths: Mira Gojak and Takehito Koganezawa. Commencing in our foyer at 11.30am for a brief introduction from Melissa Keys, Curator of The Garden of Forking Paths, this event is free and open to everyone . RSVP HERE READ MORE

Panel: Gender and Indonesian Contemporary Art, Wednesday 28 November, 12–1pm

Join artists Elia Nurvista, Nuraini Juliastuti and art historian Wulan Dirgantoro for a dialogue on gender and contemporary practice in Indonesian art. Introduced by Dr Danny Butt. Areas of discussion will include how the Reformasi of 1998 has shaped the formats of women’s practices within contemporary art, in relation to other historical frameworks. We will […] READ MORE

Visual Thinking Strategies Session at Buxton Contemporary: Saturday 20 October – 11.00am

Interested in find out about Visual Thinking Strategies or keen to practice your VTS skills with colleagues? Join VTS trainer, Carly Grace for a fun Saturday art session focusing on connecting with contemporary arts practice. The group will have the opportunity to experience our current exhibition, No one is watching you: Ronnie van Hout through guided VTS […] READ MORE

Watching Ronnie: Thursday 18 October – 6.30pm

Watching Ronnie Throughout September, a group of candidates in the VCA Masters program gathered at Buxton Contemporary for a convivial and intimate weekly discussion focused on the exhibition No one is watching you: Ronnie van Hout. Facilitated by curator and researcher Rosemary Forde, this collaborative study group focused on selected key works and themes apparent in van […] READ MORE

Sheridan Palmer, ‘Disequilibrium: Presence/absence in the art of Tony Woods’: Thursday 4 October – 6.00pm

As part of the ongoing lecture series, Histories and Theories of Sound, Buxton Contemporary, with Discipline and Liquid Architecture present Dr Sheridan Palmer’s ‘Disequilibrium: Presence/absence in the art of Tony Woods’, followed by discussion with Doug Hall AM. During the 1960s the Tasmanian artist Tony Woods (1940 – 2017) emerged as a rare talent in […] READ MORE

Writing & Concepts Lecture Series, Alicia Frankovich: Thursday 27 September – 6.00pm

Exoplanets: interior and exterior possibilities In this free public lecture Alicia Frankovich will address multiple embodiments that look at human and non-human entities, to imagine new and other worlds. She will address microscopic bacteria including probiotic water kefir, sugars and the female karyotype. WRITING & CONCEPTS is a public lecture and publication series designed to […] READ MORE

In Conversation: Tuesday 25 September – 5.30pm

Jumaldi Alfi and Ugo Untoro are leading Indonesian artists and members of a dynamic art community based in the central Javanese city of Yogyakarta. Join the artists for a conversation about their work and contemporary Indonesian art and culture, with artists Jon Cattapan (Director, Victorian College of the Arts), Sally Smart (Vice Chancellor’s Fellow) and […] READ MORE

Response Talks: Thursday 13 September – 6.30pm

Join us on Thursday 13 September at 6.30pm for three insightful 20-minute artist and writer response talks. Each speaker will address specific works by Ronnie van Hout featured in his major solo exhibition No one is watching you. Artist Masato Takasaka will explore notions of the artwork as a ‘cover version’ in relation to van Hout’s Hold that thought, Salazopyrin (2008) and his […] READ MORE

‘Into The Void’ Film Screening: Thursday 6 September – 6.00pm

Into the Void (2014) Directed by Margaret Gordon 6.00PM Prescreening conversation between, artist Ronnie van Hout, director of Into the Void Margaret Gordon and independent curator, Angela Brophy 6.30pm Screening of Into the Void (Running time 70 mins) Education Gallery, level 1, Buxton Contemporary As part of the public program for our current exhibition, No One is Watching You: Ronnie van Hout. Buxton Contemporary is screening Into […] READ MORE

Tony Garifalakis book launch: Thursday 23 August – 6.00pm

Buxton Contemporary is delighted to host the launch of Mutual Assured Destruction Tony Garifalakis The Centre of Visual Art and Surpllus invite you to celebrate the launch of Mutual Assured Destruction, held in the foyer of Buxton Contemporary 6-8pm Thursday 23 August. Tony Garifalakis’s practice over the past two decades has examined social relations and the […] READ MORE

What is Performance Art? Australian Perspectives Book Launch: Thursday 16 August – 6.00pm

Power Publications and Buxton Contemporary invites you to join us for the Melbourne launch of What is Performance Art? Australian Perspectives To be launched by Edward Colless, Head of Critical and Theoretical Studies, Victorian College of the Arts, University of Melbourne. This event will bring together a dynamic discussion chaired by Edward Colless, with Adam Geczy, […] READ MORE

Artist floor talk: Saturday 11 August – 11.30am

Unnerving, intriguing and amusing Ronnie van Hout’s tableaux explore the powerful sensations of the contemporary human condition. Join renowned artist Ronnie van Hout and academic and author Dr Russell Smith this Saturday, 11 August at 11:30am, as they discuss the major new exhibition No one is watching you: Ronnie van Hout exploring ideas in van Hout’s practice, […] READ MORE

Melbourne Art Week, Ronnie van Hout talk: Friday 3 August – 11.00am

Talks with Buxton Contemporary: Ronnie van Hout 11am – 12pm Friday 3 August Buxton Contemporary artist Ronnie van Hout will discuss his expansive career with Pip Wallis, Curator of Contemporary Art, National Gallery of Victoria. Timed to coincide with the unveiling of Ronnie van Hout’s new commission at Melbourne Art Fair and taking place in […] READ MORE

Absolute Humidity Book Launch: Thursday 2 August – 10.30am

Buxton Contemporary, in partnership with Asialink Arts and Melbourne Art Fair 2018, will officially launch, Absolute Humidity, a new limited edition volume edited by Brisbane-based curator and writer Tess Maunder. Absolute Humidity, is a publication and research project that collectively engages with the conditions that many artists are working under today; trans-national relationships, ecological threats, exploitation, anxiety, sovereignty, politics, […] READ MORE

Open House Melbourne: Saturday 28 & Sunday 29 July

We are excited to participate in our first Open House Melbourne weekend, join us for free talks and guided tours with Buxton Contemporary staff and leading architects, Fender Katsalidis at 11am and 1pm on both days. 11AM Saturday 28 & Sunday 29 July No one is watching you: Ronnie van Hout exhibition introduction 1PM Saturday Architectural […] READ MORE

Antipodean Perspective Book Launch: Thursday 26 July – 6.00pm

Monash University Publishing and Buxton Contemporary are delighted to invite you to the launch of Antipodean Perspective: Selected Writings of Bernard Smith Edited by Rex Butler and Sheridan Palmer Bernard Smith (1916-2011) was unquestionably one of Australia’s greatest humanist scholars and its finest art historian. His European Vision and the South Pacific, 1768-1850 (1960) was a […] READ MORE

Artist floor talk: Thursday 12 July – 6.30pm

After an introduction from Melissa Keys, curator of No one is watching you, join artist Ronnie van Hout and Russell Smith, Lecturer in Modernist Literature and Literary Theory at Australian National University for a roaming tour of the exhibition. READ MORE

In conversation: Thursday 21 June 6.30pm

Buxton Contemporary artist Marco Fusinato will be in conversation with Francis Plagne, a musician and writer from Melbourne. Marco and Francis will be discussing the ongoing performance series, Spectral Arrows, and its iteration at Buxton Contemporary as well other elements of Fusinato’s practice. Spectral Arrows, an improvised long-duration performance for guitar and mass amplification was presented […] READ MORE

Marco Fusinato Spectral Arrows performance: Saturday 9 June

Spectral Arrows, an improvised long-duration performance for guitar and mass amplification will be presented for the first time in Melbourne at Buxton Contemporary on Saturday 9 June 2018 11AM – 5PM. “…tormented metallic sizzle” “a single-minded focus on the possibilities of distortion and massive volumes” Marco Fusinato explores the idea of noise as music, using […] READ MORE

In conversation: Thursday 7 June – 6:30pm

Buxton Contemporary artist Mikala Dwyer will be in conversation with Phillip Adams, founder and Artistic Director of BalletLab. READ MORE

Tessa Laird Book launch: Thursday 31 May – 6.30pm

Help us launch Bat from the Animal Series written by Tessa Laird! Please join the author at Buxton Contemporary to celebrate. Bat inspired cocktails will be served in the foyer and copies of the publication will be sold for $20 (cash only). Free book goes to the best bat costume! Speakers: Tiriki Onus, Edward Colless, and Norie […] READ MORE

In conversation: Thursday 24 May – 6.30pm

Esteemed artists John Meade and Sanja Pahoki will engage in conversation about the work of Pat Brassington, whose artworks are included in our current exhibition The shape of things to come, curated by Melissa Keys. No bookings necessary, entry is always free and complimentary wine will be served in the foyer before and after the conversation. READ MORE

In conversation: Thursday 17 May – 6.30pm

Dr Jan Bryant, senior lecturer in Theory of Art & Design at Monash University and Tamsen Hopkinson (Ngati Kahungunu), an artist from Aotearoa based in Narrm, Melbourne will be speaking about the work of Nicholas Mangan, whose artworks The mutant message and Untitled #10 are included in our current exhibition The shape of things to […] READ MORE

In Conversation: Thursday 10 May – 6.30pm

Buxton Contemporary artist, James Morrison will be in conversation with Julia Powles, Educations Manager at Heide Museum of Modern Art. READ MORE

emaj Journal launch: Thursday 3 May 6:30pm

Help us launch the tenth edition of emaj! Please join the editors for a drink in the Buxton Contemporary foyer to celebrate the tenth edition of the electronic Melbourne art journal. emaj was co-founded by our director, Ryan Johnston in 2005, who will launch the edition along with current editors, Giles Fielke, Dr Helen Hughes and Paris Lettau. READ MORE