ART GALLERIES AND EXHIBITION PROGRAM

We have four main gallery spaces here at CPAC and have a commitment to showcasing local artists alongside international and national artists. CPAC houses an international standard exhibition space, artists' studios and artists' residency spaces plus multiple options for exhibition spaces including a dedicated kids gallery.

We have made it simpler for you to access the multitude of exhibitions that we've showcased in our galleries. By clicking on the links below, you can find all the information; including exhibition catalogues, images, publications, artist talks and videos where available.

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Congratulations to the finalists of The 67th Blake Prize! Click here to see the full list of finalists

The Blake Prize is a biennial event that engages local and international contemporary artists in conversations on the broader experience of spirituality, religion, and belief. The selected finalists will show their work at The 67^th Blake Prize exhibition on 12 March – 22 May 2022.

The majority of this year’s finalists come from Australia, representing every state and territory in the nation. Many cultures and religions from across the globe are represented in the works, including Mexico, Japan, Iran, the Philippines, Israel and China. The themes explored within the finalist works include introspective explorations of spirituality, the natural world, xenophobia and racism, gender, Australian identity and COVID-19.

“This year’s Blake Prize finalists have delivered an incredible range of artworks, from painting, photography, sculpture, installation and digital media works exploring the wider experience of spirituality, religion and belief,” said CPAC Director Craig Donarski.

“The works in this year’s exhibition express the huge changes the world has gone through over the last two years, as well as the changing cultural mix of Australia's population, our attitudes towards religion and spirituality, and how our artists interpret, reflect, and question these notions via their work through art.”

Exhibition view, Bittersweet, Hopper Gallery - August 2020. Photography by Chantel Bann.

Our exhibition, Bittersweet (curated by Shivanjani Lal) has been acknowledged as Highly Commended for MGNSW's 2021 Imagine Awards. Click here to read more

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Click on the links below to learn more about current and upcoming Casula Powerhouse exhibitions.

Coming soon:

Click on the links to see all of the exhibitions that have been presented in the Casula Powerhouse galleries over the years.

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2020
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2015

GINA is an exhibition that brings together works from Gina’s artistic career to tell her personal story. This is the story of a woman who used art as a way to cope and overcome the difficult experiences of her life but also to capture all of the beauty, love and joy that filled her life.

Curated by emerging Western Sydney curator, Shivanjani Lal, Bittersweet is a survey of emerging and mid career Fijian art. It is a talanoa: a laying down of artworks and stories some sweet, and some bitter.

Both iTaukei and Indo-Fijian artists have been invited to interpret ideas around food, language and stories. The artworks are representative of new and old ideas of Fiji and the ways they have been shared and remade, to create space for both histories. The exhibition speaks to the experiences of artists living in diaspora as well as the connection to their island home: Fiji.

Pulse of the Dragon Virtual Tours

Click on the images to explore the Pulse of the Dragon exhibition - featured in our Hopper and Switch Galleries.

Pulse of the Dragon is curated by Guan Wei and Cang Xin, featuring a dynamic line-up of Chinese and Chinese-Australian artists, who approach these concepts from their local and international perspectives.

Guan Wei is a local artist with a Chinese heritage. He has exhibited widely around the world and he was the first Chinese-Australian artist to have a solo show at the MCA in 2019.

The participating artists emphasise themes of religious witchcraft, mythology, folk art and folk culture as methods for opening up understandings and perspectives of Chinese culture.

Exhibition Virtual Tours

Click on the links below to explore virtual tours of other past exhibitions.

The Blake Art Prize attracts entries from artists around the world looking for exposure for their work, the opportunity to be hung in the exhibition, and to compete for various prizes including the $35,000 main prize.

Three prizes are selected by the judges for the best contemporary artwork that addresses the religious or spiritual.

1. The Blake Prize is a non-acquisitive prize of $35,000
2. The Blake Emerging Artist Prize is an acquisitive prize of $6,000
3. The Blake Established Artist Residency - consisting of a residency and solo exhibition hosted by CPAC.

All prizes are strictly non-sectarian. Entries are not restricted to works related to any faith or artistic style. All artworks entered must have a recognisable exploration of faith, spirituality, religion, hope, humanity, social justice, belief and/or non-belief.