(b. 1976, Melbourne, Victoria. Lives and works in Melbourne)

Mark Smith is an artist working across painting, ceramics, mixed media, video and soft sculpture. Primarily figurative, his works explore how the physicality of the body relates to human nature and the human condition. Starting from a feeling or emotion, rather than a model or image, his practice considers what it truly means to be human.

Smith’s contribution to Melbourne Now continues his series of text-based soft sculptures that put emotional responses into selected words, such as ‘control’ and ‘happenstance’. Smith has worked in the Arts Project Australia studio since 2003 and held his first solo exhibition at Gallery Upstairs in 2014. He has exhibited in several group exhibitions, including Spring 1883 Art Fair, Robin Gibson Gallery, No Vacancy Gallery, c3 Contemporary Art Space, West Space and The Substation, and in 2020 he undertook an artist residency at the Australian Tapestry Workshop. His work is held in public and private collections across the country, including at Monash University Museum of Art and Merri-bek City Council.

(b. 1975, Melbourne, Victoria. Lives and works in Melbourne)

Lisa Reid is a multimedia artist operating in the realm of ceramics, painting, drawing and digital media. Often inspired by old family photographs and pop-culture references, her observational yet self-reflective work reflects a rich and unique interpretation of everyday life, buoyed by a meticulous attention to detail.

At Melbourne Now, Reid’s extensive ceramic practice is brought into focus, in particular her works based on analogue and vintage appliances, machines and gadgets. In her two decades working as an artist at Arts Project Australia, Reid has shown her work in major exhibitions both nationally and internationally. Her work is also held in a number of public collections, including the National Gallery of Australia and the National Gallery of Victoria, as well as private collections worldwide. Her first solo exhibition, Lisa Reid: The Devil’s in the Detail took place at Arts Project Australia in 2015.

(b. 1956, Melbourne, Victoria. Lives and works in Melbourne)

Alan Constable’s work is multi-disciplinary, ranging from drawing and painting to ceramics. His ceramic sculptures, which he began developing in 2007, reflect his life-long fascination with old cameras, which started at the age of eight when he would make replicas from cardboard cereal boxes. Coinciding with his 3D practice, Constable also maintains a strong painting and drawing practice, focusing on imagery from newspapers and magazines as his points of reference.

Constable has been a regular studio artist at Arts Project Australia since 1991. Alongside regular selection in group exhibitions throughout Australia, Constable has presented in several solo exhibitions such as South Willard (curated by Ricky Swallow), Los Angeles, 2013 and Darren Knight Gallery, Sydney, 2015, 2018, 2021. His work is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Victoria (Melbourne), The Museum of Everything (London), Gold Coast City Gallery (Surfers Paradise), Deakin University (Melbourne), and Orange Regional Gallery (Orange).

(b. 1979, Melbourne, Victoria. Lives and works in Melbourne)

Bronwyn Hack is a painter, printmaker, ceramicist and textile artist. She has a fervent art practice resulting in poignant work, at times heading more toward a painful melodrama. Her early work centered on scenes of ardent attraction featuring fictionalised characters drawn from popular culture and the artist’s imagination. Her recent work is focused on figurative subject matter such as sections of the body, bones and bodily forms, which she thoughtfully isolates and reinterprets into intriguing objects and paintings.

Hack has worked at Arts Project Australia since 2011. She has presented two solo exhibitions at Arts Project in 2016 and virtually in 2020 and has exhibited in numerous group exhibitions. In 2018, Hack was an Artist in Residence at Australian Tapestry Workshop and in 2022 her work was toured by NETS Victoria in the national touring exhibition Conflated. Her work is held in corporate and private collections throughout Australia.

(b. 1978, Melbourne, Victoria. Lives and works in Melbourne)

Christian Hansen is an emerging artist working primarily with acrylic, gouache, pencil and pastel on paper and canvas. With Australian and Romani cultural heritage, his work is symbolic and powerful, often commenting on the politics of colonialism. Recently, his practice has expanded to include other mediums such as ceramics and he is currently working on an autobiographical book that he has begun illustrating and plans to publish.

Hansen has worked in the Arts Project studio since 2017. He has exhibited in numerous group exhibitions and is a current member of The Northcote Penguins, an art collective formed in the Professional Practice Program at Arts Project Australia. His work is held in in private collections throughout Australia.