Ian Swift 2022, Rare Bird 44
Join the artists at the official opening of Curious Birds, Ordinary Extraordinary and Faces of the South exhibitions at Tuggeranong Arts Centre.
Have a glass of wine with the artists, their friends and people from Canberra’s local arts scene. Hear from guest speakers and enjoy the celebratory atmosphere as you browse the artwork in three new exhibitions. Official speeches and drinks from 6pm on Friday 17 October Free, all welcome.
Curious Birds
Byrd Being Part of the geography, enamelled spray paint on found timber door off cut. Image courtesy of the artist.
Curious Birds bring together work by four artists known for creating quirky and whimsical bird art pieces and incorporating found objects and materials in their work. Smile and enjoy the works made by this wonderfully eccentric cohort; steam-punk ceramic artist Anna O’Neale, eclectic collector and sculptor Tom Buckland, sculptor and street artist byrd (aka Dan Maginnity) and Sydney based bricolage and assemblage artist Ian Swift, represented by Lost Bear Gallery, Katoomba.
Birds have long been considered spirit messengers and are thought to represent aspiration and the ability to rise above the mundane. Humans can easily identify with many bird behaviours such as, seasonal migration, mimicry, preening, nesting and social flocking-together. Many artists use birds to represent humans idiocyncracies; Bret Whitely, Edward Lear, and Canberra’s Jan Brown are but a few.
Birds are also known as environmental indicators, with canaries famously used to detect toxic gas in coal mines. Large and diverse populations of birds are a general indicator of positive environmental health. And birds live in relation to people occupying gardens, buildings, parks and piers and other constructed or modified habitats.
Ordinary Extraordinary
The Collection spoon detail Photo: Brooke McEachern Canberra Glassworks
Exploring the everyday using the mediums of glass, drawing and textiles. Michael’s work is informed by disability, caring, his migration to Australia, and identifying as LGBTQIA+. The show thematically reflects on the idea of home, its comforts, the value of the familiar, the meaning of keepsakes and things we collect, while playfully questioning what happens when familiar spaces and routines are disrupted.
Cam Michael is a mixed media artist working on Ngunnawal country. His interests include social inclusion, redefining value, and relationships between identity and perception to place. Cam’s work is informed by disability, caring, migrating to Australia, and identifying as LGBTI. He uses the everyday to create space for connection.
Faces of the South
Caroline Huf, Truth to Power Cafe, 2025. Photo: Aris Pixels Photography.
Faces of the South, a selection of black and white portraits taken by photoaccess artists Odette England and Jordan Stokes, that celebrate the people and places of Tuggeranong. This series of portraits and stories were captured in pop-up photobooths at Mimi’s Pit Stop and Tuggeranong Art Centre’s Grand Day Out. The exhibition captures the faces and stories of Tuggeranong residents and visitors in 2025.
The Details
What: Exhibitions Official Opening at Tuggeranong Arts Centre
When: Friday 17 October, 6pm. Exhibition showing until 13 December 2025.
Where: Tuggeranong Arts Centre, 137 Reed Street North
Cost: Free, no bookings required.
Find out more at Tuggeranong Arts Centre
