Warrnambool Art Gallery

14/10/2026

Final Week | Closing 18 Oct 2026

Material Conditions: Systems Beneath Surfaces
Jessie French

Jessie French’s exhibition, Material Conditions: Systems Beneath Surfaces, examines the industrial systems embedded within the materials that shape our inhabited spaces and their resultant environmental and ethical consequences.

Established systems, optimised for efficiency, low cost, and standardisation, dictate how physical resources are produced, circulated, and utilised in our daily environments. Many of these materials rely on chemical additives including binders, stabilisers and coatings to enable their rapid manufacturing. While engineered for efficiency and durability, these materials are often impossible to repair or reintegrate into recycling or reuse cycles once they degrade. Over time, these industrial systems have normalised the widespread use of materials that compromise human health and ecological stability.

In an era defined by environmental crisis and geopolitical tension over natural resources, French positions material design as a critical cultural and environmental inquiry. By presenting functional materials as cultural artifacts, Material Conditions invites us to look beyond the surface and consider the infrastructures, responsibilities, and possibilities embedded within the substances that surround us.

This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body.

Curated by Micky Schubert

Jessie French Other Matter Creative Australia Visit Great Ocean Road

12/10/2026

Stall holder callout! Limited spaces are available.

Learn about the power of entrepreneurship, innovation and creative thinking while having fun and making money too!
Creatives ages 8-18 years are invited to book a space for the Young Entrepreneurs Market; a market just for young people with real world selling opportunities.
Stall Holders will need to decide what to sell; to create or collect products, price and label and then engage with customers and handle money.

Stall bookings are $5 for a 2 hour session (10.30am-12.30pm).
Book here https://www.thewag.com.au/event/young-entrepreneurs-market-1

08/10/2026

A place to rest, or a place to wrestle with the world?

“Dreaming Myself Into a Future That Was Worth Living” brings Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley ( ), Gordon Bennett and together in an exhibition about power, surveillance, mortality and the choices we make.

Curated by Aaron Bradbrook ( ), it explores how our divergent bodies are classified and controlled to shape how we live and die, asking us to consider when we act, when we watch and when we turn away.

A major exhibition at Warrnambool Art Gallery, opens 14 November 2026 to 18 April 2027.

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The exhibition is proudly supported by the Victorian State Government through Creative Victoria, the Department of Education and Training, and Visit Victoria through the Regional Event Fund.

.sydney

07/10/2026

2026 Young Portrait Show stickers now available at the Gallery Store! These legendary stickers were designed by Lillias, Kaycie, Minnie, Xavier, Chanya and Jaxon ✨

24/09/2026

Exhibitions and Operations Coordinator

12-month, fixed term, 0.8 EFT

Applications close 5pm, Sunday 4 October

Apply via link in bio

22/09/2026

Material Conditions: Systems Beneath Surfaces
Jessie French
11 Jul 2026 - 18 Oct 2026

Jessie French’s exhibition, Material Conditions: Systems Beneath Surfaces, examines the industrial systems embedded within the materials that shape our inhabited spaces and their resultant environmental and ethical consequences.

Established systems, optimised for efficiency, low cost, and standardisation, dictate how physical resources are produced, circulated, and utilised in our daily environments. Many of these materials rely on chemical additives including binders, stabilisers and coatings to enable their rapid manufacturing. While engineered for efficiency and durability, these materials are often impossible to repair or reintegrate into recycling or reuse cycles once they degrade. Over time, these industrial systems have normalised the widespread use of materials that compromise human health and ecological stability.

In an era defined by environmental crisis and geopolitical tension over natural resources, French positions material design as a critical cultural and environmental inquiry. By presenting functional materials as cultural artifacts, Material Conditions invites us to look beyond the surface and consider the infrastructures, responsibilities, and possibilities embedded within the substances that surround us.

Curated by Micky Schubert.

This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body.

Creative Victoria Jessie French Creative Australia Visit Great Ocean Road Other Matter

18/09/2026

Dark Dawn
Ketuta Alexi-Meskhishvili
15 Aug 2026 - 25 Oct 2026


Ketuta Alexi-Meskhishvili (b. 1979, Tbilisi) is a Georgian-American photographer based in Berlin. Utilising both analogue and digital reproduction techniques, she continually pushes the boundaries of her medium, creating works where the process of production is as crucial as the imagery itself.

For her solo exhibition at the Warrnambool Art Gallery, Alexi-Meskhishvili presents a series of newly commissioned works that foster a dialogue between handmade photographs on paper and industrial produced prints on aluminium. Within this interplay of fleeting and endurable techniques, a compelling tension arises between the ephemeral and the permanent, revealing not only the possibilities of printmaking but, on a metaphysical level, our very experience of existence.

Combining technical mastery with a deep understanding of the medium’s history, Alexi-Meskhishvili creates ambiguous, luminous works that move far beyond mere visual appeal. By positioning aesthetics as a tool of resistance, Alexi-Meskhishvili claims space for the personal and political, withstanding simplified interpretations. In her practice, beautiful images become an act of defiance, offering a resonant way of seeing and making sense of the complicated world we inhabit.

Curated by Micky Schubert.

Image: Ketuta Alexi-Meskhishvili, Dark Dawn, installation view, 2026, Warrnambool Art Gallery. Commissioned by the Warrnambool Art Gallery, 2026. Courtesy the artist, Molitor, Berlin, LC Queisser, Tbilisi, galerie frank elbaz, Paris.

Galerie Molitor LC QUEISSER galerie frank elbaz

07/09/2026

Moon Prints Workshop 🌝✨
1 October 10:30-11:30am

Inspired by the photographic prints by Ketuta Alexi-Meskhishvili in Dark Dawn participants will experiment with texture and colour to create a unique moon print.

Ages 4+

Book your spot via the link below!

Inspired by the photographic prints by Ketuta Alexi-Meskhishvili in Dark Dawn participants will experiment with texture and colour to create a unique moon print. Ages 4+

07/09/2026

Beach Plastic Keyring Workshop with Beach Patrol 3280 🪸🌈
30 September 1:00-2:30pm

Create your own colourful keyring using plastic collected from local beaches! Kids will explore an amazing collection of marine debris (including fishing beads, hard plastics and other curious beach treasures) to design a fun and functional keepsake. All materials supplied.

Ages 8+

Book your spot via the link below!

Create your own colourful keyring using plastic collected from local beaches!Kids will explore an amazing collection of marine debris (including fishing beads, hard plastics and other curious beach treasures) to design a fun and functional keepsake.Along the way, they'll discover how everyday litter...

07/09/2026

Beach Plastic Assemblage Earring Workshop with Beach Patrol 3280 🪸🌟
30 September 10:30am-12:30pm

Turn colourful beach treasures into your own unique pair of earrings!
In this fun, hands-on workshop, kids will use washed-up marine debris (including fishing beads, cotton bud stems, hard plastics and other fascinating beach finds) to create one-of-a-kind assemblage earrings. All materials and jewellery findings supplied.

Ages 8+

Book your spot via the link below!

Turn colourful beach treasures into your own unique pair of earrings!In this fun, hands-on workshop, kids will use washed-up marine debris (including fishing beads, cotton bud stems, hard plastics and other fascinating beach finds) to create one-of-a-kind assemblage earrings.Along the way, they'll l...