Mark Smith 
Intimate Imaginaries 2024
material, stuffing, thread on 3D
120 x 470 x 15 cm (irreg.) 
Courtesy of the artist and Arts Project Australia

Intimate Imaginaries is a group exhibition featuring artists from Arts Project Australia (APA), a leading gallery and studio in Melbourne that champions neurodivergent artists and artists with intellectual disabilities. The exhibition showcases the work of 13 artists whose practices have developed within APA’s vibrant studio over the past five decades. 

The word “imaginaries” is often used to describe acts of make-believe and pure invention, but it can also refer to the everyday ways people see, shape and make sense of themselves and the world around them. This broader meaning is reflected in the approach of APA, where artists are supported to follow and develop their own creative instincts rather than being formally taught. In this way, each artist creates work that conveys their own unique and deeply personal outlook. 

Featuring Fulli Andrinopoulos, Samraing Chea, Alan Constable, Wendy Dawson, Bronwyn Hack, Julian Martin, Chris O’Brien, Anthony Romagnano, Lisa Reid, Mark Smith, Cathy Staughton, Georgia Szmerling and Terry Williams.

The artworks featured in Intimate Imaginaries express a wide range of perspectives and emotions. Some artists focus on everyday situations, relationships and experiences, while others use abstract forms, bold colours and expressive textures to communicate feelings and inner states. While the works include a wide range of artforms—painting, drawing, ceramics, soft sculpture and video­­—they all share a distinct handmade quality that provides a direct sense of connection to the artist and their creative process.

Intimate Imaginaries is a TarraWarra Museum of Art exhibition, in partnership with Arts Project Australia, touring with NETS Victoria. Curated by Anthony Fitzpatrick.

This project has been assisted by the Australian Government’s Visions of Australia program and by the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria.

National Exhibitions Touring Support (NETS) Victoria is supported by the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria, by the Australian Government through Creative Australia its principal arts investment and advisory body, and through the Visual Arts and Craft Strategy, an initiative of the Australian, State and Territory Governments. NETS Victoria also receives significant in-kind support from the National Gallery of Victoria.

Exhibition Partners 

Exhibition and NETS Victoria Supporters