Kaya Artists!
Southern Forest Arts and emerging Noongar curator Cassandra Bynder are seeking artists residing in regional Western Australia to submit an Expression Of Interest for the upcoming exhibition Modernised Custodians, at the Painted Tree Gallery in Northcliffe W.A. from 12 September – 18 October 2026.
Please contact Cassandra prior to submission if you have questions about the EOI document, process or theme: cassandralbynder@gmail.com or 0439 693 222.
SUBMIT YOUR EOI
Submit your online Expression of Interest through this link here.
Deadline for submissions is Monday 11 May 2026
OVERVIEW
Modernised Custodians is a group exhibition inviting contemporary artists and storytellers residing in regional Western Australia to reflect upon the ways they navigate the space between nature and technology. In a world where humans have always relied on both the Earth and human ingenuity, what is the ideal relationship between the two? How do artists use technology as a tool for curiosity, creativity, innovation? How does technology help or hinder our connection to each other, our shared humanity, our planet and ultimately our future?
CURATORIAL STATEMENT
As a mixed race, fair skinned Aboriginal woman I have been navigating liminal spaces my whole life. I constantly question whether balance is possible between the churn of the two worlds I was handed: tradition; colonisation; survival; assimilation; acceptance; integration. I wonder if I can hold knowledge of my ancestors and be a child of the modern world at the same time? What are my responsibilities as an Aboriginal person and a human and how do I care for the Earth? As an Aboriginal artist and emerging curator, what are my responsibilities to my First Nations heritage and the wider community?
Being with Country opens and connects my heart and mind to the ideas I explore in my arts practice. Being with Country connects me to myself. Perhaps surprisingly, ‘being with tech’ can facilitate my openness and connection to Country and Culture. Everyday tech not only helps me keep up with the pace of modern life, it enriches my creative practice.
I am curious to discover how other artists navigate the relationship between the gains and costs of technology in their creative and personal journeys. I want to explore and better understand the interconnectivity between ancient wisdom and modern innovation. I am curious to discover how this plays out across all cultural inheritances, not just First Nations.
This curiosity is the impetus for Modernised Custodians.
ARTIST BRIEF
The human race is careening through many different worlds at once. We are being catapulted through modern life by technology which – for better or for worse – cannot be erased nor stopped. And yet, our relationship with Country, our existence in ‘place’, is the container that informs our biology and moulds our cultures. It teaches us, feeds us, regulates us. Country is always whispering; her forces are a dance of interdependence between chaos and order, nature and nurture, old and new. As humans we are faced with complex daily decisions as we walk the edge of our knowledge. Artists have a key role to play in navigating the inherent tensions within life’s paradoxes. As visionaries who help create cultural pathways forward, artists inspire, respond to and record society’s adaptation to the constancy of change.
Modern technology in all its forms – from mobile phones to industrial machinery, social media to life-saving equipment – has supposedly delivered a life better than ever before. The great trope proclaims we are now ‘more connected than ever before’. Yet, if that is true, what exactly is it we are connected to?
Access to modern technology is driving choices about where and how people live. In regional Western Australia, residents have to choose between access to healthcare, education and career opportunities and the benefit of living close to Country and community. They need to weigh the cost of logistical challenges with proximity to ancient trees, spiritual waterways, fossilised coastlines and the boundless plains of WA. In a modern context, for many, nature’s abundance no longer seems ‘sufficient’.
For regional artists, WA’s vast geography can present obstacles to connection, networking, career progression and reach. Conversely, the beauty and expanse of its diverse landscapes can be stimulating and nourishing. When artists relocate to, or remain in, cities they deplete regional communities of exposure to the creativity and new ideas that inspire current and future generations. This can have ripple effects for social and cultural vibrancy. How do regional artists sustain their practice? How do regional communities retain their creative spark? How does modern technology advance or impede these goals?
Is our current technophilia* at the expense of our humanity, environment, our future? Can we personally and collectively make gains by using modern technology, without losing mastery, intergenerational knowledge and potential? Is there a middle road? Can we ever live as deep a commitment towards sustainability as Australia’s First Nations ancestors over 65,000 years? Can technology help us reach a place of equilibrium, devotion and communion with the Country on which we live now?
Modernised Custodians asks Western Australian regional artists to consider the relational space between nature and technology. Following are some prompts to contemplate:
- Do you use technology to assist you in your life and arts practice? Is your creative practice a technology based practice?
- Do you resist the accelerating tech existence and how does that manifest?
- Do you embrace and adapt, reject and rewind, accept and cultivate? Is it clear or mixed?
- Does technology open up doors and opportunities for you as a regional artist?
- How do we use technology and stay human? Is ‘human’ to be redefined?
- Does technology always have to be new?
- Do you feel drawn to bigger cultural centers because of the lack of creative access in smaller towns?
- The Ai art movement is a large issue facing artists but not the only one. Is there any other technology that ‘steals’ from artistic mastery?
- Are we destroying what gives us our quality of life and the knowledge that has held us so long? Does tech give hope to the hopeless? Is it perhaps a bridge?
* Technophilia is a strong, often enthusiastic, passion for or obsession with technology, particularly new electronic gadgets, computers, and digital innovations.
ARTIST INFORMATION
Modernised Custodians will be a small exhibition of responses to the brief. We seek a diverse range of artists to contribute. Artists will be chosen through a combined approach of:
- selection through an open EOI process
- invitation
We seek a mix of artists, spanning multiple generations, along a spectrum of professional practice from emerging to established. We want to hear from artists of different walks of life, experience, connection to Country and place. Aboriginal artists, culturally diverse artists and artists living with disability are strongly encouraged to apply.
Artists may apply with:
- New work in response to the brief
- Existing work, completed within the last three years, if it fits this brief.
Modernised Custodians Exhibition will consider 2D, 3D and audio visual work. We invite mediums that include but are not limited to photography, digital art, sculpture, painting, printmaking, textiles, installation, ceramics, audio visual, woodwork, mixed media or papercraft.
Examples of your work or concept must be included with your application, as well as your artist CV and/or bio. Artists are responsible for delivery and pick up of work to the gallery, at their own expense. See key dates below.
At least one online meeting will be conducted with participating artists to meet and discuss their proposed work. Involvement in group connect sessions is strongly requested. Details TBC.
Artwork can be made available for sale, but it is not compulsory.
The Painted Tree Gallery is located within the Northcliffe & Visitor Centre. Information about the gallery is available here.
All EOI selection decisions are final. The selection panel is composed of Cassandra Bynder (Curator), Ron Bradfield (Aboriginal Curatorial Mentor) and Fiona Sinclair (Gallery Director). Feedback can be provided, although challenges to the final decision will not be entertained.
FEES
- There is no entry cost to submit an EOI or participate in the exhibition.
- Artists will not be paid an exhibition loan fee for artworks selected for exhibition
SUPPORT
Artists participating in Modernised Custodians will be supported in the following ways:
- Access to curator, Cassandra Bynder, to support the development of work
- Consultation during the EOI process.
- Curated installation of artworks
- Invitation to an opening event
- Social and print media marketing for exhibition
- Artwork sales handling (please note, a commission of 25%, including GST will apply)
KEY DATES:
| April 1 | EOI advertised |
| May 11 | EOI closes |
| May 13 | Artwork selection |
| May 17 | Shortlisted and unsuccessful artists notified of outcome |
| Mid May TBC | Initial briefing session and connection |
| Sept 8 | Delivery and receipt of artwork at Painted Tree Gallery |
| Sept 9-11 | Exhibition Install |
| Sept 12 TBC | Exhibition opening event |
| Sept 11- Oct 18 | Exhibition open to public |
| Oct 19 | Exhibition disassembled, unsold artworks collected. |
Artists are encouraged to contact Cassandra Bynder for support and/or clarification on the EOI document.
“Waangka danjoo nyininy”