The Lowbrow lowdown on 2025
The end of the year always makes me a bit emotional. I’m someone who is sappy and sentimental at the best of times, and there is truly no better occasion to be so than a time of year which calls for us to be reflective.
I remember a conversation in probably 2020 or 2021 with my best friend, Lotte, about making a combined site where I reviewed art and she reviewed theatre. So clearly Lowbrow has been a thought at the back of my head for a long time, even though it only came to fruition this year. This all started as a project for my Masters, and I think I needed the push from that formal structure in order to finally put pen to paper and start writing. This article is fittingly timed as I graduated that Masters degree this week, and you know what - I will put in a photo of me in cap and gown because a) I look excellent b) I’m proud of myself and c) I never got to have a graduation ceremony for my undergrad bc I was a 2020 covid grad. Please, for your viewing pleasure, enjoy this photo of Charlotte and I sweating though our polyester in Wednesday afternoon’s heat. And yes I did refuse to take off my silly little hat for the rest of the day.
A few favourite pieces/exhibitions/art moments of my year, in randomised order;
Five Acts of Love at ACCA was by far my favourite exhibition of the year, curated by Dr Nur Shkembi this is the show I will be comparing all future shows at ACCA to. Featuring Abdul- Rahman Abdullah work, Pretty Beach (2019), which held me for close to 10 minutes. Walking in circles around the installation, seeing how the crystal sun catchers fell into lines and then out again depending on my perspective, how they stole the light and gave it back in different directions, how they looked light from above and heavy when you squatted and looked at them below from the perspective of the rays swimming on the floor beneath. I wish this piece were on display in a permanent collection so I could visit it again whenever I wanted.
I wrote about Melissa Nguyen’s solo show at Mary Cherry Contemporary Mèo/Mèo in May and the pair of rabbit skin glue paintings Royal Bloodlines and The Last Great Dynasty still stick (like the glue used to paint them lol) in my mind. Nguyen went on to win the prestigious churchie emerging art prize and the $30k prize check that came along with it for The Last Great Dynasty.
I visited Alex Smith’s studio to interview her for Lowbrow and recorded our conversation. I love Alex’s work and I loved the chat we had about it in April. It’s always a pleasure to visit her in her studio, but this time felt extra special. I’m always curating Alex’s work into imaginary shows in my head, maybe one day it’ll become a reality.
The Hillvale Photo Trophy as a whole! Such exemplary work from contemporary photographers. Affordable, well presented work, by and for the community. It was hard to pick favourites from the whole line up.
I continued to visit a few openings at MARS Gallery throughout the year, after I interned there at the end of 2024 for a couple months. Saffron Newey Evanescene (2025) caught my eye in the She Paints Her Exhibition. The painting is nostalgic and whimsical, the horse silhouette nestles itself amongst such an ethereal landscape and I wish I were able to live in the world of this painting.
In early June I visited my brother Andy and my best friend, the aforementioned Lotte, in Sydney, and took the opportunity to visit the trio of prizes at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. I thought it was a strong year for the Archibald and the Sulman, but my favourite work from the visit came from the Wynne prize. Which was Holly Anderson’s I was light across an ocean. The painting of the bed sparkles as if it were light dancing across the surface of a shimmering sea. This painting appears deceptively simple but is so masterfully executed.
Matthew Mifsud Untitled (How Does It Feel?) (2025) which I encountered at the RMIT Grad show. I wrote in my review; “To me, this installation is the star of the grad show.” And I stand by that even after visiting a slew of grad shows and being overwhelmed by a bombardment of art and artists.
I’m astounded at what Lowbrow has achieved this year - and it hasn’t even been a full year! My first post was in April and this is now the 40th piece of writing on the site. There have been four other writers whose work has been published: Alex Smith, Adele D’Souza, Stella Wadeson, and of course Charlotte McKinnon. Charlotte has contributed an amazing 20 pieces of writing to Lowbrow over the last six months, and I am so grateful for her help especially over the July to September months when I was away galavanting at the snow.
One of the most exciting parts of Lowbrow’s year was the invitation to attend and write about Spring1883, which Charlotte took on while I was away. Another highlight of the year was the grad show season. It’s exciting to see what the newest generation of art school grads are putting out into the world, and there were some true stand outs. Lowbrow has expanded to be more than just a place for exhibition reviews; I wrote a book review and Charlotte wrote an essay about the currently overwhelming presence of food in art. There are some exciting things already in the works for 2026, and I can’t wait to see what comes next for Lowbrow in the year to come. The best way to help Lowbrow continue growing, is to keep engaging online and sharing the work we are doing.
Thank you to you, our wonderful readers for your constant support. I love you !!