RESIST LAUGHTER, ALANA HOLMBERGThe Pool Grant 7, 2017

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Alana Holmberg

Launched in 2010, The Pool Grant was created as a means to support the development of emerging talent in the region. Since then, it has provided funding to twelve individual artists, as well as the first joint project in 2019.

BE ANGRY AT THE SUN, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.jamesbuggphoto.com/">JAMES BUGG</a>The Pool Grant 11.5

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TPG115 James Bugg

HALF THE WORLD MUST BE BURIED ALIVE,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.nhubicki.com/">NICHOLAS HUBICKI</a>The Pool Grant 11

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TPG 11 Nicholas Hubicki

NICHOLAS HUBICKI&nbsp;ARTIST TALK, 2 AUGUST 2023.

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The Pool Grant is an independent initiative that provides a cash grant of $10,000, exhibition funding to the value of $5,000, and a year of mentorship from Pool’s artists and makers to conceptualise and produce a solo exhibition.

BUSHRANGER BLUE, RORY KINGThe Pool Grant 12Work in progress, to be exhibited July 2024.&nbsp;

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TPG12 Rory King

HUON,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.noahthompson.com.au/">NOAH THOMPSON</a>The Pool Grant 10, 2022

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THE POOL GRANT 10 - NOAH THOMPSON

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ALL OUR STRAINS, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.danipearce.com/">DANI PEARCE</a> &amp; <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://robfarley.co/">ROB FARLEY</a>The Pool Grant 9, 2019

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THE POOL GRANT 9 - DANI PEARCE | ROB FARLEY

All Our Strains is a photographic exhibition from video artist/creative director Dani Pearce and cinematographer/photographer Rob Farley. The installation of photography is a critical exploration of the Australian national anthem. The photographic installation is comprised of 54 images that each represent a word - reimagined pictorially - in the politically charged song Advance Australia Fair.&nbsp;Pearce’s concept has been strongly influenced by the work of Derrida and aims to deconstruct and reconstruct meaning - taking words with loaded connotations and disempowering said words by expressing new definitions. All Our Strains employs the use of Post-Structural thought systems to express a contemporary meditation upon Australian identity politics.&nbsp;Farley and Pearce have shot medium format landscapes between Melbourne and Alice Springs. These remarkable colour scapes are reminiscent of late-career Rothko and pay homage to the emotional nature of Australian colour worlds - unique and spiritual. Further, these vivid colour washes and horizons act as background tones to a series of contemporary portraiture of young Australians. These photographic works seek to imbue an outdated touchstone with a critical, emotive optimism through a post-modern pastiche. These images act as alternative horizons and cultural mirages. All Our Strains is a sanguine study of Australian identity; with the aim to encourage discourse around the unquestioned omnipotence of colonial superstructures and what they do truly say about us as a nation.&nbsp;All works © <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.danipearce.com/">Dani Pearce</a> &amp; <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://robfarley.co/">Rob Farley</a>

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TO SET FIRE TO THE SEA, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://sineadkennedy.net/">SINEAD KENNEDY</a>The Pool Grant 8, 2018

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THE POOL GRANT 8 - SINEAD KENNEDY

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RESIST LAUGHTER, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://alanaholmberg.com/">ALANA HOLMBERG</a>The Pool Grant 7, 2017

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THE POOL GRANT 7 - ALANA HOLMBERG

“It’s very sad that a person fears her safety just because she supports basic human rights. In this atmosphere, fighting for women’s rights is a luxury for many people” —Gizem, 2016.&nbsp;A tweet took me to Turkey initially - an image of young women laughing in the street and the Turkish words #direnkahkaha (resist laughter). The post was one of the thousands shared by Turkish women to protest comments by the country’s then-Deputy Prime Minister, who said women should not laugh in public. The post found me 16,000 kilometers away. It made me want to learn more about these women; digital natives taking to virtual streets connecting with an international women’s movement.&nbsp;I first visited Turkey in 2015, the same year I began tentatively calling myself a feminist. Many I interviewed and photographed identified with the word. Some rejected the label and the movement as Western, preferring that their actions alone define them. As a group, they were unified in their outrage about skyrocketing numbers of murdered women — a 1400% increase between 2003 and 2010. On every other issue, they were divided: motherhood, politics, sexuality, tradition, and religion.&nbsp;Returning in 2016, I found a movement being rapidly reshaped by the intensity of current events in Turkey - multiple terrorist attacks, an increasingly conservative and fascist (yet popular) Government, and a failed military coup followed by a state of emergency. Amidst widespread arrests of those who oppose and criticise the Government, I was met not with defiance but with a creeping sense of defeat amongst those I spent time with. Self-preservation for a cause had become, naturally, more of a priority than self-sacrifice.&nbsp;All works © <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://alanaholmberg.com/">Alana Holmberg</a>

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ON PARRAMATTA ROAD, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://lyndalirons.com.au/">LYNDAL IRONS</a>The Pool Grant 6, 2016

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THE POOL GRANT 6 - LYNDAL IRONS

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RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.katedisherquill.com/">KATE DISHER-QUILL</a>The Pool Grant 5, 2015

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THE POOL GRANT 5 - KATE DISHER QUILL

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<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://earshot.com.au/">EARSHOT PROJECT</a>Developed out of The Pool Grant 5

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WHERE THE FLOODWATERS ESCAPE, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.davidmauricesmith.com/">DAVID MAURICE SMITH</a>The Pool Grant 4, 2014

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THE POOL GRANT 4 - DAVID MAURICE SMITH

Where the Floodwaters Escape reflects the Barkindji Aboriginal community of Wilcannia NSW, a people whose identity is shaped by the polarity of their history and the uncertainty of their future. Amongst the challenges in this rural community, there is strong determination and will woven with threads of an ancient culture that hold them together. A meaningful narrative takes shape in the space between, framed by beauty, fragility, and hope. To be Barkindji is a blessing, despite the involuntary burden that is inherited.&nbsp;All works © <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.davidmauricesmith.com/">David Maurice Smith</a>

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Throughout each project, Pool artists have acted as mentors to each year’s recipient, assisting with their process and guiding them through the rigours of creating a solo body of work fit for a gallery space.

THE WAY, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://mikeread.com.au">MIKE REED</a>The Pool Grant 3, 2013

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THE POOL GRANT 3 - MIKE REED

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THE SPACE BETWEEN MEN, BRODIE STANDENThe Pool Grant 2, 2012

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THE POOL GRANT 2 - BRODIE STANDEN

The Space Between Men explores masculinity in contemporary Australian society and, through doing so, documents the complex and multi-dimensional relationships between young men. It follows a group of adolescents on their journey to adulthood, pushing the boundaries and engaging in reckless and risk-taking behaviours. The project documents the camaraderie, bonding, and tension between peers as they struggle to discover who they are and their place in society.&nbsp;All works © Brodie Standen

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OST ARTISTS, BRIDGET MACThe Pool Grant 1, 2011

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TPG01 Bridget Mac

The call for entries for The Pool Grant 13 will open in May 2024 — check back here and on Pool socials for application details and requirements.&nbsp;