Incinerator Art Award: Art for Social Change

We are proud to announce our Incinerator Art Award: Art for Social Change 2024 shortlisted artists.  Ali Tahayori | Annette Wagner | Ari Angkasa | Autumn Tansey | Ayman Kaake | Carla Zimbler | Cecilia Sordi Campos | Chiara Zeta | Elyas Alavi | Jacqui Gordon | Jahkarli Romanis | James Hazel | jemi gale with skramzwife, Fleur, Luyuan Zhang, Jess Tan, Marlo Mogensen, Matilda Davis, mararara, Gigi De Lacy and Rumer Elisabetta Guario | Jincheng Deng | Jo Chew | Justyne Allen | Kieran Butler | Miream Salameh | Niki Koutouzi | Noah Spivak | Sam Petersen | Sarah Ujmaia | Shelley Watters | Steven Bellosguardo | Tay Haggarty | Yandell Walton | Zena Cumpston.

Friday, 13 September, 6 to 8pm

The opening night is a free public event welcome to all, with speeches, award presentation, and a Welcome to Country and will be held at Incinerator Gallery.

Till Kingdom Come, Which Side Are You On?

Saturday, 23 November

1-hour duration

Suitable for ages 18 and up

Book your ticket - 11am session | 2pm session

Join artist Jacqui Gordon for a participatory human boardgame re-imagining our society for a fairer future. On the day you will be assigned a team and role as you learn the rules, meet the other players, and engage in a fun, low-movement, and conversational game.

Social Justice Art for Teens

3-day program runs Tuesday 1, Wednesday 2, Thursday 3 Oct

12.30 to 3.30 pm each day

Suitable for ages 11 to 17

Book your ticket - $75 including materials, tickets required

Led by artist-educator Francine Sculli, this series teaches participants to analyse contemporary social justice themes and use art for advocacy. Connect with like-minded peers, express yourself through various media, and join a community of socially conscious young artists. This inclusive workshop provides a safe space to discover and explore your passions and creativity while harnessing your voice for positive change.

Bec Cole 

Bec Cole is a champion of creating access to contemporary art and performance for everyone. She is the Executive Director & Co-CEO of Footscray Community Arts, a place dedicated to the elevation of community engaged contemporary art practice in Melbourne’s West. Bec has worked extensively in local government across leadership, strategic and creative programming roles, spanning public art, galleries, performing arts, creative industry development, major events and activity centre settings.  Bec was instrumental in establishing Wyndham Art Gallery in 2010 and was the Director of Latrobe Regional Gallery from 2020-2022. She also led the establishment of Gippsland Performing Arts Centre which opened in March 2022.  She is currently the Chair of NETS Victoria and a board member of Next Wave and RANT Arts (Tasmania).  Bec is proudly palawa. 

Nikki Lam 

Nikki Lam is an artist-curator and filmmaker based in Narrm/Melbourne. Working primarily with moving images and text, her work explores memory through contemplation on time, space and impermanence. Nikki is interested in the complexity of migratory expressions: its tensions, fragmentation, poetic threads of personal and collective histories. Nikki’s work has been shown widely across Australia and internationally, including most recently as part of Primavera: Australian Young Artists 2023 at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia. With an expanded practice, Nikki is currently co-director of Hyphenated Projects and Biennial. She’s a current PhD (Art) candidate at RMIT University.

 Sebastian Henry-Jones 

Sebastian Henry-Jones’ curatorial approach is led by an interest in DIY thinking, and situated in the context provided by the gentrification of Sydney and Melbourne’s cultural landscapes. Seb is the Curator at West Space, Melbourne, and was previously Curatorial Assistant for the 22nd and 23rd editions of the Biennale of Sydney, NIRIN and Rivus.

Congratulations to our Incinerator Art Award 2024: Art for Social Change winners:
- $10,000 Incinerator Art Award Winner: Sam Petersen 'You Need Us'
- $1,000 Moonee Valley Mayoral Award Winner: Chiara Zeta 'Un/believable 2'

Voting for the People's Choice Award is open between Friday, 13 September and Sunday, 24 November 2024. Visit the gallery during opening hours to cast your vote. The People's Choice Award winner will be announced on Thursday, 28 November 2024.