LEVEL UP is series of contemporary community gallery spaces spread across Wyndham. These spaces have been developed to provide emerging artists with an opportunity to showcase their work and support their transition into professional practice.
普通⼈ (Ordinary People) by MeiMei 莓莓 Hodgkinson
Exhibition Dates: Wed, 6 Mar 2024 - Thu, 21 Mar 2024
Location: Saltwater Community Centre, 153 Saltwater Promenade, Point Cook
普通⼈ (Ordinary People)’ explores and challenges the concept of ordinary through a series of paintings and drawings of Wyndham residents.
The works reflect people from a broad range of ages, race and social backgrounds.
With an intimate close-up lens, MeiMei exposes details that are often ignored or hidden from the first glimpse. Sun-soaked skin tone, delicate brushstrokes and dramatized expressions seek to illustrate the untold stories behind the eyes of people often seen as “typical”.
MeiMei 莓莓 Hodgkinson is an emerging Chinese Australian artist who currently lives and works on Bunurong Country in Werribee, Victoria.
MeiMei has been playing with oil paints since she was three-years-old and retains that childlike sense of imagination and vulnerability in her artworks today. Inspired by extraordinary stories of the ordinary, MeiMei seeks to explore the 喜怒哀乐 (sourness, sweetness, bitterness and spiciness) of life through people around her.
Image credit: Image by MeiMei Hodgkinson as part of exhibition
My World of Colour: Journey into Artistic Exploration by Dilshad Moosajee
Exhibition Dates: Thu, 18 Jan 2024 -Wed, 20 Mar 2024
Location: Tarneit Community Learning Centre, 150 Sunset Views Blvd, Tarneit
“My World of Colour: Journey into Artistic Exploration” is an immersive art exhibition that aims to celebrate my journey as an Australian Artist with Kenyan roots. This exhibition aims to showcase a diverse collection of artworks that evoke joy, provoke thought, ignite the imagination and celebrate colour using a wide array of artistic styles using oils and pastels on canvas and paper media.
The paintings represent the vibrance of Australian landscapes, the richness of the African culture and heritage as well as optimistic abstracts observed through the vision-impaired eyes.
Having migrated from Kenya 29 years ago, I am proud to call Australia home. I have lived in Werribee since 1995 and witnessed its growth and diversity. I have always been fascinated with colour and witness its vibrance in everyday life. My journey took me to art classes and interactions with local Werribee based artists where I improved on basic techniques and fostered some amazing friendships. During the pandemic, I was fortunate to access online classes in pastels with world renowned oil painter and pastelist, Lyn Diefanbach, who influenced my work and instilled in me the confidence to express myself using the language of colours
Living with macular degeneration has brought unexpected shifts to my artistic process. As my vision changes, so does my artistic vision. This metamorphosis adds an intriguing dynamic to my work, infusing it with a sense of spontaneity and impermanence. Each creation becomes a visual testament to the transformative power of adaptation and resilience. Sharing my artwork with the local community is an integral part of my artistic journey. Exhibiting my creations allows me to establish a connection with those around me, fostering a shared appreciation for art and promoting dialogue.
As I continue to navigate the ever-changing landscape of my artistic vision, I am humbled and grateful for the opportunity to share my work with the community. It is my hope that through my art, I can inspire others to embrace change, challenge conventions and find beauty in the unexpected.
Image credit: Image by Dilshad Moosajee as part of exhibition
Favourite Things by DMR Art Studio
Exhibition Dates: Thu, 18 Jan 2024 - Wed, 20 Mar 2024
Location: Dianella Community Centre, 6 Congo Drive, Tarneit West
'Favourites Things explored the canvas of personal passions. Each stroke told a story as artists showcase their beloved subjects - be it the cherished landscapes, cartoons, dimensional art or the pure joy of painting itself. Dive into a world where art meets affection, revealing the cherished treasures that ignite the creative flame within each artist's soul.
Image credit - image ‘Vibrancy’ by Mary DeBrabrander as part of exhibition.
A woman of character, Ceardai Demelza
Exhibition Dates: Fri, 20 Oct 2023 -Wed, 15 Nov 2023
A woman of character showcases the characters I have made over the last few years right through to what I am doing now. My creation of hybrid female creatures is my way of processing the world and understanding my place in it. It has been key to my mental health and personal growth to explore states of being, despair, isolation, belonging, spirituality and empowerment. My hope is that the characters and their stories speak to others, wherever they are on their own journey.
Artist Bio
Ceardai Demelza graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Art (Honours) from the Victoria College of the Arts in 2019. She has been in numerous group-shows and art prizes and in March 2020 Ceardai attended and presented at the Association for Women and Mythology’s Biennial Conference in New Mexico, USA. Ceardai’s characters, worlds and stories come from an eco-feminist perspective drawing the link between the commodification of both women and the environment.
Ceardai Demelza creates female hybrid creatures who have lived the challenges of life, and watched as the world and women are commodified, and exploited. Just as we now have to attempt to make something good out of the waste we have created in the world, Ceardai creates Oracles who rise up from the ‘compost’ redefining beauty and worth in a collaged, imperfect, and unapologetically powerful way.
Image credit Ceardai Demelza, Infinite Supply, Digital Painting, 2023
Cherish, Pamela Day Moyle
Exhibition Dates: Fri, 20 Oct 2023 -Tue, 14 Nov 2023
This exhibition seamlessly weaves the threads of time and creativity into a captivating tapestry of artistic expression. At its heart, the exhibition stands as a testament to my profound connection with both the art of the past and the pulse of the present.
It’s a collection of older paintings of still life metals. Metals are my favorite still life objects to paint, and paintings of life around us that I hold dear.
Artist Bio
My first passion for art started looking at the old master's work portraiture which gave me the feeling that they are watching. Art through many different cultures record history, their journey and what they treasure. The word passion, through its meaning describes exactly how I feel about pushing paint around a canvas. Passion meaning a strong liking or desire for or devotion to some activity, object, or concept.
Painting instills a sense of observation. Learning to paint gives us the eye to observe and see things other people maybe would not. I started my journey to paint through drawing. I have been fortunate enough to have lessons from some of the best still life painters we have. I attended Gregory R Smith School of Painters.
Although I have not shown my work before other than a student exhibition it has been my own journey of painting from the odd assignment. Paid commission for portraiture to landscape.
My joy comes from the experience of learning, The challenge of observation, and a never-ending journey of change and exploration.
Image courtesy: Image by Pamela Day Moyle as part of exhibition
Art Extension
Exhibition: Fri, 20 Oct 2023 -Tue, 14 Nov 2023
Bloom, Art Extension
Saltwater P-9 College opened its doors in 2019 and in 2023 we started our Art Extension classes. This involves students voluntarily attending before school once a week to continue their passion. Students have been working on progressing their skills and techniques in watercolour, sketching, drawing still-life, colour theory as well as perspective. Students have been working solidly on understanding water colour and combining this technique with colour theory to work toward having their own exhibition.
This collective of work represents the new day that is dawning. Soon the students within this group will all move onto their new schools, new homes, and new art goals. For now, I hold their aspirations in my hands and hope to nurture each of them. Some people think the dandelion is a weed among the beauty that is nature, but I see it differently, I look for a new perspective in all I do and always focus on the positive and the beauty that lies within. As these students fly off in search of what tomorrow brings, I hope they will always remember that someone believed in them, in their beauty, in the positive growth they are making toward making this world a better place.
MARIA NARDO – Am I Random?
Exhibition Dates: Friday 9 December to Thursday 9 Feburary
Location: Saltwater Community Centre
Artist Bio:
Maria Nardo @artbymarianardo is a contemporary multimedia artist who lives and works in the Point Cook, Vic area. Having completed a Masters of Primary and Secondary Teaching at Deakin University she now teaches Visual Art and hopes to continue her studies to be able to one day help young people through Art Therapy.
She has exhibited several times with other Artists in the RedWest co-op and taken part in the Wundergym program several times which saw her work featured in a publication sold at the National Gallery of Victoria as part of the Melbourne International Book Fair during Melbourne Design Week in 2022. This is Maria's first solo exhibition.
Am I Random?
In the spirit of storytelling, this series is a visual journey that expanded from just one idea. It began early in 2022 when Forward Motion for WunderGym ran in conjunction with the Science Gallery Melbourne's exhibition 'Swarm'. The exhibition focused on how we could potentially combine art and science. In the original work that started this series titled 'Am I Random?', I responded to the question – ‘What happens to us after death?’. Combining my knowledge of science, sociology and life I suggested that if humans produce energy, and the theory states that energy is never lost only transferred, then it stands to reason that we don't disappear, but our energy is just transferred. I imagined if we could create a machine that could see the energy bubbles floating around us.
If we could see this energy as colour and we had the technology to show our colour, would this be a way to find our soulmate? Would they be the same colour? Or a complementary colour? If our energy is like a bubble, is that why sometimes we feel as though our energy is absorbed by some people, repelled by others and combined with the ones we love? Do you ever feel like some people just 'pop' your energy bubble? Do you ever have the feeling of being drawn to some people and away from others? Is this random? Am I random?
From these thoughts I created this series of colourful works post-Covid to brighten and lighten the dark and sombre mood that seemed to have encapsulated the world over. These pieces, although all slightly different and e
Revive Live by Mark Strother
Exhibition Dates: Tuesday 14 February to Friday 14 April
Location: Dianella Community Centre
As an artist, I draw much of my inspiration from nature. I find nothing more beautiful than the colours, patterns and designs found within the world around us.
The centrepiece for this collection of my art is 7 pieces that when put together form a picture of a lush waterfall. Individually, they are a more abstract observation of the patterns and randomness found in nature.
I spent five years living in Darwin, in the Northern Territory of Australia. Darwin can be a stifling place to live during what they call the ‘build up’. Just before the wet season starts, the humidity builds up. You can drench a t-shirt in sweat, just sitting down outdoors. The beaches are a no go zone because of box jellyfish, and crocodiles. The only place to find relief is indoors where there is air conditioning. I watched a lot of movies in Darwin. Just hiding out in the cool cinema. But then there is Litchfield Park. An oasis that is safe to swim in, and as refreshing as it is beautiful. This is the inspiration to this centrepiece, called revive. The way that cool water falls seem to revive the body and soul. I have also included
The name of the art exhibition at the Dianella Community Center, is an expansion of an online exhibition my art is virtually displayed with Grove Studios. The exhibition at the virtual gallery was called ‘Revive’. This exhibition is ‘live’ rather than virtual, and therefore it is ‘Revive Live’
Artist Bio:
Mark Strother is the founder of grovestudios.com.au , a new startup business that focuses on promoting art and media. His creativity is a constant flow of painting, photography, graphic design, writing, poetry, fashion design, video production, screenplay writing and online content.
Mark has recently written and published the book 'Who is the Dogman - The artwork of M.W. Strother’ available on Amazon.com.au Mark's art has been sold locally and internationally as well as in fundraiser events. He lives in Hoppers Crossing with his wife Irene and their two teenagers who keep him young at heart.
Mark says ‘I am honoured to be able to connect with my community through my artwork and am grateful for the council to facilitate this and is so supportive of local artists. Without art, life is dull. As someone once said, : The ‘earth' without ‘art’ is just 'eh'
Image: Artwork by Mark Strother as part of exhibition.
Tongue In Cheek by Rukz One
Exhibition Dates: Friday 17 February to Friday 14 April
Location: Tarneit Community Learning Centre
Big messages and artworks that are in your face can deliver a strong message, but is it for everyone? What if we could lower the shock factor and make important messages something that visually even a child could view? Although the child might not get the message it may be a gateway for their parents to read further and perhaps plant a conversation seed for the next generation.
Artist Bio:
Rukz One was born and raised in the Western Suburbs of Melbourne, Australia. Often described as unique and polarising, he (and his art) swings between the simple and the complex. His art draws inspiration from skateboarding, hip hop, the Melbourne street art/graffiti culture, and humanity.
Now focused on the Artdecypher banner he aims to shine a creative light that reaches new locations and audiences by paving new paths that challenge the “norm”. Community and collaboration are driving forces in his work.
Previously he organized events that combined music and art under the “Creative Culture” banner and provided opportunities for creatives to showcase and celebrate. Rukz One served as a director on the RedWest Creative Co-Op Ltd board as Secretary, Treasurer, and President and currently holds positions as a member of Wyndham City’s Creative City Portfolio Advisory Committee and the Wyndham City’s Public Art & Collections Expert Advisory Panel (PACEAP).
Image: Artwork by Rukz One as part of exhibition 2023.
Jetty to Wyndham, Tracey Noonan
Exhibition Dates:Fri, 21 Apr 2023 -Fri, 30 Jun 2023
Location: Dianella Community Centre
The exhibition explores my love of Jetties and broken piers through long exposure photography and also journeys through Wyndham and Surrounds highlighting the beauty of the local area.
Artist Bio
I have always been into creative pursuits since I was a child. I particularly loved photography and even studied it at school. I had always dreamt of being a photographer but life got in the way and it wasn’t until a few years ago in my forties that I bought my first DSLR camera.
I started by photographing around my local area of Wyndham and Hobsons Bay and then branching out photographing a lot of the popular photography spots around Melbourne and holiday destinations that I have visited.
I discovered my passion is for Landscape Photography and Long Exposure and I have developed quite the interest in photographing Jetties and Broken piers in particular.
Image: Photograph by Tracey Noonan as part of exhibitio
Flow, Ayesha Dharmabandu
Exhibition Dates: Fri, 28 Apr 2023 -Fri, 7 Jul 2023
Location: Tarneit Community Learning Centre
My artwork is a series of linocut prints and acrylic pieces. These artworks show fluidity and flow and are linked with spirituality (Kundalini) and the element of water. In 2016, I awakened my Kundalini, through Reiki energy. This powerful energy helped me enhance my creative flow, where I received intuitive downloads to help me create my art.
I am a 7-9 Visual Arts and English teacher at Baden Powell College, in Tarneit. My main intention in presenting this artwork so close to the school, is to express my love and passion for art to my students and the community. I would like to show my students and the youth in Wyndham that there are many careers in art. I aim to inspire not only the youth but people of all ages to create and see art as a form of healing and mindfulness.
Artist Bio
Ayesha Dharmabandu (@arty_aye_sha) is a Melbourne based Multidisciplinary Artist. She is also a Visual Arts and English teacher, in Tarneit. She completed her Bachelor of Education, in Creativity and the Arts in 2008, majoring in Fine Arts and Performing Arts and sub-majored in Literature.
Ayesha is an emerging and expressive abstract artist. She often experiments with printmaking, acrylic paints, watercolour paints, graphite, ink, and gold leaf to create her works of art. Her paintings often depict movement and transformation, using bright colours, lines, and textures. Often, she writes poetry to go deeper into understanding her art, which helps her express herself and her artwork to her audience. She has always been inquisitive about the arts, and it was only seven years ago, she got her calling to share her artwork with the community. Ayesha often connects her art with spirituality and the community.
Image: Digital art by Ayesha Dharmabandu as part of exhibition
Digital Dreams, Nick Cowling
Exhibition Dates:Tue, 25 Apr 2023 -Fri, 7 Jul 2023
Location: Saltwater Community Centre
I have long been influenced by popular culture. The striking and kinetic visuals of Akira, the used-future sort-of realism of Star Wars, and even the detailed yet beautiful horror of Junji Ito. While some might think of it as “stealing and aesthetic” I tend to think of it as a “borrowing a vibe”. I am equally inspired by the environment I live in: Australia as the macro, the West of Melbourne in the micro.
Since beginning my artistic journey in 2020 I began to see that while there is a plethora of high-quality fan art out there that mirrors or builds on fictional universes there’s nothing that melded “Australiana” into these vibrant worlds – at least not to my liking.
Instead of waiting for someone else to do it I decided to craft my own vision of what an Australian influence would have on the media that has influenced me. Think: a punk cockatoo giving off all the energy and attitude that we all know they emit, a person riding a cassowary across the sparse beauty of the outback, and a Vegemite vending machine casting a yellow glow through a Blade Runner-esque concrete dystopia.
The suffix punk is added to words to indicate a particular or unique style in speculative fiction. Cyberpunk is essentially Japan taken to 11, Atompunk focuses post-nuclear war life. With this exhibition I want to create my vision of Australiapunk.
Artist Bio
I’m a self-taught creative living in Melbourne’s western suburbs. I’m strongly influenced by my local environment, Australian culture, science fiction, cyberpunk and vaporwave aesthetics, kaiju cinema, manga, and anime, as well as other styles of entertainment, architecture, and media.
While I try to create a unique style that is my own, I’m heavily influenced by a number of artists and creatives, chief among them are: Geof Darrow, Simon Ståhlenhag, Katsuhiro Otomo, Mike Mignola, MC Escher, Salvador Dali, James Stokoe, Josan Gonzalez (Deathburger), Junji Ito, Reg Mombassa, and Jamie Hewlett to name a few.
Image: Digital art by Nick Cowling as part of exhibition
Ana Hanson - Unbound Terrain
Exhibition Dates: THU 13 JUL - WED 13 SEPT 2023
Dianella Community Centre, 6 Congo Dr, Tarneit VIC 3029
Unbound Terrain, Ana Hanson
My body of work, 'Unbound Terrain: Contemporary Explorations of the Australian Landscape,' serves as a visual exploration of the natural world through the lens of the 21st century. Drawing upon my personal experiences growing up in the Australian bush and adapting to the interconnected urban environment of Melbourne, these mixed media artworks transcend traditional boundaries, blending a diverse range of mediums such as acrylic and oil paints, pyrography, collage, and digital art.
Artist Bio
Ana Hanson is an Australian mixed media visual artist whose work reflects a wide range of influences- both traditional and contemporary. Blending traditional and contemporary styles and mediums. Born in Melbourne and raised on the South Coast of NSW, Ana later moved to Canberra, where she earned a Bachelor of Visual Arts from the Australian National University School of Art, majoring in painting and contributed to a number of joint and group exhibitions. In 2018 Ana returned to Melbourne and has since participated in exhibitions and art prizes at a number of Exhibition spaces around Melbourne and regional Victoria. Ana's artistic practice encompasses a variety of media, from traditional painting and drawing techniques to aerosol, woodburning, and digital art. Her recent focus lies in landscape art, where she offers a fresh perspective on the natural world, with a unique artistic voice that transcends boundaries and celebrates the interplay between tradition and innovation.
Image: Image by Ana Hanson as part of exhibition
Jonabelle Cogan – Joiners
Exhibition Dates: WED 12 JUL - MON 11 SEPT 2023
Tarneit Community Learning Centre, 150 Sunset Views Blvd, Tarneit VIC 3029
Joiners, Jonabelle Cogan
In this exhibition, Joiners, Jonabelle Cogan displays a series of joiner photographs, an art form consisting of overlapping images creating one big panoramic image. Conveying that photographs need not be made by just a single print, creating a sense of ‘seriousness’, but can also be made playful, mind bending, and sometimes abstract by assembling multiple photos of the same subject.
Joiner Photography is made popular by David Hockney.
Artist Bio
Maayung adlaw! It means “good day” in Bisaya, one of the many dialects in the Philippines, where I am from. My name is Jonabelle Cogan. I love creating anything with my hands. I am a multi-faceted artist with many interests such as (but not limited to) jewellery metalsmithing, sewing, crocheting, printmaking, and photography.
I am passionate about Mother Nature, plant-based living, yoga, meditation, and spirituality. My inspiration derives from the beauty I see in nature as well as urban, and suburban landscapes. I see beauty everywhere I go, and my mission is to share these to people and hopefully, they too, see the beauty I see.
Image: The images shown were taken during Covid. They were my refuge during that time. I hope you enjoy. Part of the exhibition.
Yu Fanghong - Blooming Red Of Fabric Artistry
Exhibition Dates: WED 12 JUL - MON 11 SEPT 2023
Saltwater Community Centre Point Cook, 153 Saltwater Promenade, Point Cook VIC 3030
Blooming Red of Fabric Artistry, Yu Fanghong
Over the years, Yu Fanghong has tirelessly explored and innovated in fabric art, drawing inspiration from Chinese painting techniques. Through meticulous stitching with cotton thread, she creates intricate forms reminiscent of fine brushwork. This exhibition features 29 carefully crafted pieces, the result of Yu Fanghong's dedicated artistic pursuit.
Wishing Yu Fanghong continued success in her fabric art journey, and hoping the audience finds visual delight and spiritual enjoyment at the exhibition.
Artist Bio
Yu Fanghong, a Chinese woman in her sixties, has always harboured an artistic dream. Decades ago, she discovered her passion for fine arts and ventured into the world of fabric art. Fabric art is an expressive form that showcases the artist's imagination and creativity. By ingeniously combining discarded fabric scraps, Yu Fanghong transforms them into exquisite fabric artworks.
Image: Artwork by Yu Fanghong as part of exhibition
Ceramics Showcase by Wyndham Park Community Centre Ceramics Program
Exhibition Dates: Mon, 8 Jan 2024 -Wed, 7 Feb 2024
Wyndham Park Community Centre
This exhibition showcases the unique ceramic artwork created by class participants enrolled in the ceramics program at Wyndham Park Community Centre. With the support and guidance from highly qualified and experienced ceramic artists and teachers Melissa Murphy- Vella and Olga Kurbienko, class participants have explored individual themes, various concepts and refined techniques through the medium clay.
The exhibition gives a snap shot into the creative and imaginative world of the class participants and is a celebration of the wonderful work created throughout the year.
Image: Dani Acciarito “Quick Hide Me!”, 2022 as part of the exhibition.