Fremantle Arts Centre launches summer exhibitions with Perth Festival

Fremantle Arts Centre (FAC) is set to launch a trio of summer exhibitions from February 7 to April 20, 2025, in collaboration with Perth Festival. The exhibitions spotlight Kate Mitchell, Dianne Jones and Mervyn Street, three acclaimed artists whose works share a profound engagement with place and community.

This highly anticipated program includes two major premieres. Kate Mitchell’s Idea Induction, an immersive and participatory installation, invites audiences to explore creativity through interactive elements such as her “singing chair:” this allows for a full-body experience of deep resonant sound, and aims to facilitate a relaxed, creative state.

Ballardong artist Dianne Jones presents The Beach, a new large-scale photographic work responding to Manjaree (Bathers Beach) in Walyalup / Fremantle and its spiritual importance as a site of kinship and meeting in Noongar culture. Alongside this, Jones will exhibit her iconic Australian Photographs, which reframe historical beach imagery such as that of Max Dupain by inserting herself into the image, challenging colonial narratives and celebrating the vibrancy of Aboriginal culture.

Gooniyandi artist Mervyn Street presents Stolen Wages, a deeply personal collection that reflects on Kimberley history, his experience as a stockman, and his landmark $180 million court victory against the State Government for stolen wages. Through a mix of newly commissioned and existing works, Street continues his legacy of truth-telling and cultural resilience.

Fremantle Arts Centre Curator and Collections lead Abigail Moncrieff notes, “The three artists offer audiences a multiplicity of experiences, from Mitchell’s interactive work, Dianne’s powerful and joyous photography and Mervyn’s painting that documents his experiences in The Kimberley.”

Idea Induction and The Beach are curated by Abigail Moncrieff, Fremantle Arts Centre. Stolen Wages is curated by Emilia Galatis. 

The exhibitions are free to the public. For more information, visit Fremantle Arts Centre