Penrith flexes its creative might

The calibre of Penrith’s educational institutions, their alumni and our creative arts sector was showcased last month with the announcement of the Archibald Prize.

The 2022 winner, Blak Douglas, graduated from Jamison High School in Penrith in 1989 and went on to study graphic design at the University of Western Sydney (Nepean) graduating in 1994.

Blak, who was born Adam Douglas Hill, is of Dhungatti heritage. The self-practiced painter is a five-time Archibald Prize finalist and won this year for his portrait of fellow artist Karla Dickens. titled Moby Dickens. The win marks the first time a portrait of an Aboriginal woman has been awarded the prize and Blak is the second Aboriginal artist to win the Archibald, after Vincent Namatjira in 2020.

Last year, Penrith Regional Gallery – Home of the Lewers Bequest was part of the Archibald Prize 2020 Regional Tour. It is hoped that Blak’s painting will come to Penrith as part of a future exhibition of this year’s finalists.

The gallery, which is a Council owned facility run by Penrith Performing & Visual Arts (PP&VA), is one of the most highly respected regional galleries in the country. Earlier this year, Toby Chapman was announced as PP&VA’s new Director, Visual Arts – responsible for all visual arts programming and delivering all aspects of the gallery’s artistic program.

Toby is an arts leader and curator who has worked with cultural organisations across Western Sydney. He specialises in socially engaging practice and deep collaboration with artists and audiences alike. He has curated projects as part of Sydney Festival, the 9th Shanghai Biennial and Adelaide Festival.

From mid-June, Suzanne Pereira will also join the PP&VA team as Director, Theatre, responsible for curating content for the well-respected Q Theatre.

Suzanne is a Sri-Lankan Australian actor, director and arts leader whose creative output spans the classic to the contemporary. She is passionate about supporting and creating work that speaks to the diversity of our communities, with a particular focus on culture and gender. Suzanne brings a unique combination of creative and management experience to PP&VA. As an actor she was most recently seen on Australian stages in Bell Shakespeare’s 2019 national tour of Much Ado About Nothing and comes to the role of Director Theatre having served as General Manager of Contemporary Asian Australian Performance.

Image: Toby Chapman, credit Lyndall Irons