- Date22 May – 28 June 2026
- VenueANU School of Art & Design Gallery
- OpeningThursday 21 May 6pm, ANU School of Art & Design Gallery
- CuratorJonathan Nichols
The Drill Hall Gallery has partnered with Perth Institute of Contemporary Art to present Painting Itself 绘画本身. Curated by Jonathan Nichols the exhibition explores a horizontal culture in painting, where fundamental ideas about its history and vitality – long the influence of European and American values – are being reshaped in East and Southeast Asia. A common understanding is that painters look for the ‘face’ of their work, that aspect of a painting that looks back at them. Each of the artists in the exhibition takes on this idea, leaning into the mood and psychic processes of their own painting, with its inner constraints and struggles.
The exhibition presents the work of five artists: Jon Chan (Singapore), Un Cheng (Hong Kong), Chris Huen Sin-Kan (Hong Kong/London), Noor Mahnun (Malaysia), Tang Dixin (China).
Exhibition presented with Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts in association with ANU Drill Hall Gallery, Canberra.
Given the prolonged closure of the Drill Hall Gallery for roof works and hazard remediation, Painting Itself (/ 绘画本身) will be displayed at the ANU School of Art & Design.
Publication
Buy Now / Available from May / $30 + $10 postage
- TitlePainting Itself 绘画本身
- Specs16.5 × 23.5 cm, 128pp, softcover, swiss binding
- PublisherPublished 2026 by Drill Hall Gallery in association with Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts
- DetailsTexts by Melanie Pocock, Jonathan Nichols and Quentin Sprague with a foreword by Hannah Mathews and Tony Oates. Interviews with artists Jon Chan, Un Cheng, Chris Huen Sin-Kan, Noor Mahnun and Tang Dixin
- ISBN978-1-7640538-3-9
- PriceAvailable from May / $30 + $10 postage / Buy Now
Painting Itself / 绘画本身, installation view, Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts (PICA), 2026. Photo: Guy Louden.
The Drill Hall Gallery acknowledges the Ngunnawal and Ngambri peoples, the traditional custodians of the Canberra region, and recognises their continuous connection to culture, community and Country.
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