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Firstdraft is where the future of contemporary art emerges, through a program that is critical, ambitious and experimental.

 

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Program
We Tea
Aug 22
We Tea

We Tea is an immersive installation developed through Bu’s ongoing studio-based tea ceremony practice since 2022. Rooted in intimate gatherings with friends, family, and visitors, each session becomes a durational act of presence where the slow rituals of making and sharing tea quietly document shared time and space. 

The weight of her
Aug 22
The weight of her

This exhibition responds to the idea of 'Digital Genocide,' a term coined by Muneera Bano, Principal Research Scientist in Ethics and AI at the CSIRO. It names a hidden violence: the systematic disappearance, distortion, and underrepresentation of cohorts of women in the data that feeds machine learning and artificial intelligence.

Aug/Sep Exhibition Openings
Aug 22
Aug/Sep Exhibition Openings

Join us from 6-8 pm, for the opening of four new exhibitions including 3 solo exhibitions by Sue Jo Wright, Jingwei Bu, Belinda Yee and a group exhibition with Mitchell Davis, David Horton and Martin John Oldfield.

Labyrinths of Signs
Aug 22
Labyrinths of Signs

‘Labyrinths of Signs’ is a textile installation body of work by Sue Jo Wright, which explores the journey of identity, belonging, and the discovery of community.

I am not my father
Aug 22
I am not my father

I Am Not My Father is a multigenerational collaboration exploring the complexities of fatherhood. Each artist brings personal experience—ranging from nurturing relationships to those shaped by absence, neglect, or trauma—into a shared conversation through textiles, sculpture, video, and an original score.

We Tea Public Engaged Performance
Aug 23
We Tea Public Engaged Performance

On the day following the opening exhibition, Jingwei Bu will present a one-on-one, silent tea ceremony retrial. This objectless performance invites individual audience members to enter the tea room and sit opposite the artist on a stack of A4 paper, still and present. Together, they share the quiet ritual and the passing of time, creating a space for reflection, intimacy, and presence.

Aug/Sep Artist Talks
Aug 23
Aug/Sep Artist Talks

Join us from 2-4pm on Saturday 23 August for artist talks with the August/September exhibitions, including Sue Jo Wright, Mitchell Davis, David Horton, Martin John Oldfield, Jingwei Bu and Belinda Yee.

news

Featured
Firstdraft is now seeking proposals for the 2026 - 27 program
Firstdraft is now seeking proposals for the 2026 - 27 program

Firstdraft is now seeking proposals from artists, curators and writers for consideration in our 2026–27 Program. We invite ideas that champion experimentation, risk and inclusion.

Firstdraft welcomes new Chair and Treasurer
Firstdraft welcomes new Chair and Treasurer

The team at Firstdraft are delighted to announce Firstdraft’s new Chair Augusta Supple and Treasurer Dominic Kavanagh.

2024 Annual Survey: The Firstdraft Census
2024 Annual Survey: The Firstdraft Census

The Firstdraft Census is Firstdraft’s annual stakeholder survey for 2024. Firstdraft is growing and we want to hear from you during this period of change.

Caity Reynolds appointed General Manager
Caity Reynolds appointed General Manager

We are thrilled to announce the appointment of Caity Reynolds as Firstdraft's new General Manager.

interviews

Featured
Bootlegging through the creative wilds with Visaya Hoffie
Bootlegging through the creative wilds with Visaya Hoffie

“These spaces of imaginative and creative wildness are rare in a world that wants to compartmentalise and control all forms of cultural production.”

The beginning and end of Sofiyah Ruqayah
The beginning and end of Sofiyah Ruqayah

“We all have our own experiences of moving toward or away from connection, and for me, part of navigating these experiences necessarily involves a questioning of where I begin and end, what or who I consist of, and how the impacts of mutuality and difference influence how I move through the world.”

Slow cinema in the work of Ryan Andrew Lee
Slow cinema in the work of Ryan Andrew Lee

“I’m working mostly within the scope of documentary and experimental eco-cinema practices, utilising the principles of slow cinema and cinéma vérité.”

The intersecting orbits curated by Tim Marvin
The intersecting orbits curated by Tim Marvin

“The sun's pervasive presence allows it to be the subject, whether direct or not, for a lot of artistic practices and creative investigations.”

donate now

Join our vision for the future of contemporary art by donating to Firstdraft today. A little support goes a long way – but a lot goes further. Donate now.