Tapestry of Culture Showcase

Carol Rowlands is an accomplished artist blending painting and free machine stitching on fabric to create sculptural forms through collage, appliqué, and layering. Inspired by the stories of objects, wildlife, and their environments, her work explores the beauty of imperfection. Experimenting with materials and techniques, she embraces the lessons of success and failure, reflecting life’s ongoing journey of repair and renewal. Carol holds a B.A. in Fine Art from the Victorian College of the Arts and a Master of Visual Art from Monash University. An award-winning artist, her works are featured in collections Australia and Overseas and celebrated in publications.

French-born, Melbourne-based artist, Carolyn Cardinet is a sustainability-focused installation artist with over 30 years of experience. Starting in Paris with a background in luxury fashion working for Givenchy, Dior, and Pierre Cardin, she later transitioned to fine art, earning degrees from VCA and RMIT. Dedicated to environmental advocacy, she trained under Al Gore's Climate Reality Leadership program and as a Sustainability Leader with Port Phillip and Yarra City Councils. 

Her innovative practice transforms single-use plastics and found objects into installations and wearable art, showcased in global exhibitions and events like the Ocean Lovers Festival 2025, inspiring audiences to rethink consumption and waste.

Christine Lining Bulandus is an accomplished artist with an impressive exhibition history showcasing her dedication to sustainability and innovation. Recent highlights include being a finalist in the Show Your WESTSIDE Art Prize 2024 at Footscray Connectivity Centre and the Altona Pier Revue Art Prize at Louis Joel Arts & Community. Her work has been featured in venues like the Quadrant Gallery (Feel Good Art Prize 2024), Wyndham Cultural Centre (Primo RED 3, Provocative Cakes), and Cube 37 Gallery (RENEW 2023). 

A finalist in the Wyndham Art Prize 2022, she also exhibited at the Melbourne Fringe Festival, Woods Street Arts Space, and more. Recognized for her poetry, she received a local encouragement award in the Words of Wyndham 2017. A member of RedWest Creatives Co-op Ltd, her artistic journey continues to inspire audiences through creativity and environmental advocacy

Claudia is a dynamic multidisciplinary artist whose work blends movement, textile design, and performance. As a dancer and performer, she captivates audiences with expressive choreography, drawing inspiration from diverse cultures and contemporary themes. Her textile artistry incorporates hand-dyed fabrics and intricate patterns, enhancing her artistic narrative. In addition to performance, Claudia serves as a stylist for independent artists, bringing a unique aesthetic to fashion projects. 

Driven by a commitment to collaboration and experimentation, she continues to push creative boundaries, exploring themes of identity, transformation, and creation through both performance and textile creations.

Connor (FOOT) Ovenden-Shaw is a versatile artist whose solo exhibitions include Lineage at Warrnambool Regional Art Gallery (2017), CONTENT WARNING: Queer, Fat, Sexy at Wyndham Art Gallery (2023), and Gumnut Babies at Unassigned Gallery (2024). Notable group shows include Queer Country at Bendigo Pride and Provocative Cakes in Werribee. 

With accolades like the Peter Lucas Memorial Art Prize (2016) and the Hue and Cry Art Prize (2023), they have been a finalist in multiple prestigious art prizes. Residencies include Tarneit Community Learning Centre (2022) and New York City (2024). Their work is held in the Warrnambool Art Gallery and Blacktown Arts collections.

Elizabeth is an innovative artist whose practice has evolved from provocative explorations of societal control to a deep connection with natural materials. Upon graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Art (Painting), she received the Maude Glover Felay Award and represented the Victorian College of the Arts at the National Graduate Show (1996). Her early work featured fashion items, including a transparent plastic bra and wine-filled panties, critiquing societal constraints. 

Transitioning to natural fibers, Elizabeth now creates tapestries using thread spun from stinging nettle and dressmaking paper, dyed with natural pigments. Her work reflects a profound exploration of materials and meaning

Frances Loriente is a multidisciplinary artist and educator with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Monash University (Printmaking major, Sculpture sub-major). Her diverse practice spans exhibitions, commissions, workshops, and digital transformations. Notable exhibitions include Recollections (2023), A Kaleidoscope of Diversity in Colour (2018), and Picturing Purnululu (2017). She has received commissions for public art projects, including a mural at Federation Bells (2016) and the Lane Way Gallery Commission (2024). 

Passionate about community engagement, she facilitated workshops such as Myths, Movement, and Mark Making. A finalist in prestigious prizes like the Black Swan Portrait Prize, her work celebrates cultural narratives and creative expression.

Jenny Rutsch is a versatile artist with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Printmaking and a Certificate in Creative Arts and Health, reflecting her interest in art as a means of exploring life's meaning. After years of working with charcoal, her curiosity shifted to the sculptural and tactile qualities of paper, leading her to create her own handmade paper from recycled materials. 

These papers, dyed with plant matter and incorporating natural fibres, emphasize a connection to the environment and the transient nature of life. Her practice also integrates embroidery and textile techniques, merging the traditions of textile art with her innovative papermaking process

Kate Robinson is a multidisciplinary artist, facilitator, and arts advocate based in Footscray. With a Bachelor of Fine Arts and extensive experience across exhibitions, commissions, and community projects. She explores themes of identity, culture, and belonging through her creative work. Kate's practice includes stop-motion film, mural painting, and collaborative workshops, with notable exhibitions such as Threads at Melbourne Museum and Immigration Museum in 2024. 

A passionate educator, she facilitates craft and art workshops across Victoria, engaging diverse communities. Kate is also an active arts leader, serving on boards including Next Wave and Museums Victoria’s Creative Advisory Panel, championing inclusivity and innovation.

Mandi Barton is a proud Yorta Yorta, Barappa Barappa, and Wemba Wemba woman born on Gandangara country in Western Sydney and now living on Boon Wurrung/Bunurong country in Melbourne’s western suburbs. A mother of three, Mandi is deeply connected to her Koori community, blending her skills as an artist and designer through Mandi Barton Design. Her versatile practice spans acrylic painting, murals, digital art, jewellery, and experimental works using materials such as emu feathers, possum skin, and sand. 

Passionate about fostering cultural connection and storytelling, Mandi creates culturally safe spaces that honor her heritage and strengthen identity within the community.

Matty Chilly is a multidisciplinary Aboriginal artist from the North-West Kulin Nations, with heritage rooted in the Wiradjuri, Wemba Wemba, Mutti Mutti, Yorta Yorta, and other Indigenous groups. Their work, deeply inspired by ancestral connections to Country, specializes in traditional wearable art crafted from natural fibres, native bird feathers, and animal skins. Participating in the 2024 Koori Heritage Trust Blak Design: Fashion & Textiles program, Matty merges cultural regalia with contemporary design. 

An Indigenous Arts Officer with The Torch since 2011, they empower Indigenous offenders through art, fostering cultural identity and self-redefinition. Matty’s practice bridges tradition with innovation, honoring Country and community.

Max Lazaridis is an emerging fashion designer, graduating with a Bachelor of Fashion Design in 2022. His work blends street grunge with contemporary elegance, using high-quality fabrics that defy expectations of the grunge aesthetic. Max’s designs often convey deeper emotions and stories, offering raw yet accessible messages. 

Influenced by RAF Simons and the brand Vetements, he challenges the idea that everything has already been done, aiming to create original, unique pieces. Approaching fashion like an artist, Max values artisanal, handmade clothing over mass-produced fashion, driven by a passion for creativity that defines his life.

Having graduated from the JJ School of Art in Mumbai in 1981, the Nandita began her career as a studio potter. She has exhibited widely in India through solo and group shows from 1982 to 1986. In 1987, she received a two-year National Scholarship, culminating in a solo exhibition at India's premier gallery, The Jehangir Art Gallery in Mumbai. After a hiatus for family commitments, Nandita resumed their ceramic practice in 2005. She has since organized exhibitions in New Delhi and participated in many exhibitions in Australia. 

Her focus on hand-crafted ceramic vessels, incorporating various clays and designs, reflects a dedication to artistry and community engagement through teaching and workshops. In 2023, she was awarded the Leap award at the Wyndham Art Prize, with her work acquired by the Wyndham Art Gallery.

Parminder Kaur Bhandal (she/her) is a visual artist, librarian, and poet whose work meditates on unblocking the heart chakra. She explores love, compassion, empathy, and forgiveness through Photography, Video, and Installation. Parminder’s art honours the community, history, and country that have nurtured her, focusing on re-centering marginalized bodies and disrupting traditional narratives. 

A graduate of RMIT University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, she has exhibited widely and participated in multiple residencies, including at the Bowery Theatre and the Old Cheese Factory. Parminder’s poetry features in various events, and she has received several awards, including the Slamadamdingdong competition in 2021.

Peter Spring is a multi-disciplinary artist of Mainland Southeast Asian ancestry, currently based in Victoria, Australia. His work explores the tension between imagination and the realities of everyday life, using vivid and vibrant colour palettes despite his condition of deuteranopia (red-green colour blindness). 

Spring's art blends kitsch and popular aesthetics, creating ornamental visual journals that reflect his complex emotional landscape. Influenced by phenomenology, his pieces document human desires and motivations. Through his art, Spring seeks to connect the realms of fantasy and lived experience, offering insights into the intricate relationships that define human existence.

Samantha Gehrich is a freelance designer, patternmaker, and maker with a passion for craftsmanship and beautifully cut garments. Self-taught from a young age, she has built a career in design, focusing on creating pieces that evoke freedom and movement, often drawing inspiration from nature. Her work prioritizes quality over quantity, producing timeless garments intended to be loved for generations. 

Specializing in natural fibres and traditional pattern-making techniques, she is also exploring digital design and integrated patternmaking systems. Samantha has participated in events like Melbourne Fashion Week, the Australian Fashion Council CURATED program, and the Virgin Australia Melbourne Fashion Festival.

Tamay Beam is a distinguished Aboriginal Minjungbal artist from Booningbah, Fingal NSW, of the Bundjalung Nation. With over 10 years of experience, her artwork and textile designs are featured in galleries and stores across NSW, QLD, and VIC, and her designs are also showcased in Spotlight Stores across Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and Malaysia. 

Tamay combines cultural methods with contemporary textile design and fashion to preserve Aboriginal cultural motifs and storytelling traditions. She is dedicated to helping build understanding, trust, and economic independence through her work.

Xiang is an award-winning exhibition artist, curator, and registered art therapist based in Werribee, Australia. With over 15 years of experience, she explores the connection between art and mental health, using her practice to support spiritual well-being. Her work spans painting, drawing, installation, photography, printmaking, and public art. 

Xiang has curated exhibitions, including the 2023 Art You OK, and facilitated community workshops. She is a recipient of the 2025 Melbourne City Art Grant and has facilitated public art programs, such as a children's workshop with over 100 participants. Xiang’s accolades include winning the 2021 Wyndham Art Prize LEAP.

Zoe Jones is an artist who views her relationship with fiber and textiles as a collaboration, allowing recycled, natural, and foraged materials to guide her abstract sculptural artworks. With a process-driven practice, she explores themes of consumption, history, and the cyclical nature of energy, blending domestic crafts with fine art. 

With a background in graphic design, illustration, and animation, Zoe’s work is influenced by her storytelling focus. Her recent exploration of inherited histories through the marks left on textiles mirrors the complexities of personal and cultural journeys. Zoe has been a finalist for several art prizes and exhibited in prestigious galleries

Zoe Sydney (they/she/he) is a physicist, painter, maker, and all-round snartist (science artist) based in Melbourne. They are deeply engaged with exploring the boundaries of the body, particularly in relation to sexuality and gender, while bringing profound questions about the universe into intimate spaces. 

Zoe holds a Bachelor of Philosophy, majoring in Physics and Fine Arts with honours in Fine Arts from the University of Western Australia. As an emerging curator, they are involved with Blindside Gallery and MPavilion, and are a cofounder of the Science Art Collective Snart Club. Zoe has exhibited in multiple solo and group shows, including at Smith and Gertrude and Mundaring Arts Centre.