PICA’s quality learning resources are freely available and unpack the art concepts, processes and materials in PICA’s featured exhibitions and performances. Bringing the voices and perspectives of artists to homes and classrooms, these resources include exhibition kits, such as the Hatched Master Class series, PICA Art Talks video interviews and the Body in Mind reflective journal.
Covering foundational concepts such as the elements and principles of art and design, the resources feature artists who share tips and insights about their practice. Students and educators can use these resources to prepare in class for excursions, analyse and interpret artworks during their visit, and reflect upon and creatively respond to their exhibition experience. These resources apply different lenses to the interpretation of exhibitions and performances, highlighting relationships between the artist, artwork, world and audience.
PICA Art Talks
Hear from Australian and international artists as they share stories from their art practice and exhibitions at PICA.
PICA Art Talks: Jen Berean and James Carey, 'Soft Grates', 2026 Judy Wheeler Commission
Jen Berean and James Carey’s 'Soft Grates' is the fourth in the Judy Wheeler Commission series and invites visitors to contemplate how institutions mark time and hold memory through the ...presence of water. Continuing their collaborative exploration of architecture, infrastructures and embedded systems, the duo aims to reveal the unseen networks that move water through and around PICA’s location in Boorloo (Perth).
Learn more about 'Soft Grates' with this PICA Art Talks video.
The video description includes a link to an accessible, downloadable transcript, which contains additional audio and visual descriptions. The video description also includes links to further information on Perth’s urban water cycle, wastewater treatment and groundwater replenishment, via Water Corporation’s Primary School Online Resources and Secondary School Online Resources.
View the video description using the link below,
https://pica.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Soft-Grates_PICA-Art-Talks_Transcript.pdfShow More
PICA Art Talks: Jen Berean and James Carey, 'Soft Grates', 2026 Judy Wheeler Commission
Jen Berean and James Carey’s 'Soft Grates' is the fourth in the Judy ...
Jen Berean and James Carey’s 'Soft Grates' is the fourth in the Judy Wheeler Commission series and invites visitors to contemplate how institutions mark time and hold memory through the ...presence of water. Continuing their collaborative exploration of architecture, infrastructures and embedded systems, the duo aims to reveal the unseen networks that move water through and around PICA’s location in Boorloo (Perth).
Learn more about 'Soft Grates' with this PICA Art Talks video.
The video description includes a link to an accessible, downloadable transcript, which contains additional audio and visual descriptions. The video description also includes links to further information on Perth’s urban water cycle, wastewater treatment and groundwater replenishment, via Water Corporation’s Primary School Online Resources and Secondary School Online Resources.
View the video description using the link below,
https://pica.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Soft-Grates_PICA-Art-Talks_Transcript.pdfShow More
PICA Art Talks: Friends With Computers
Merging art, science, technology and the natural world, Friends With ...
Merging art, science, technology and the natural world, Friends With Computers’ Under Waters is an interactive immersive installation that invites viewers to enter—and remain within—a pocket of deep time.
Building a ...multi-sensory experience through projection, tracking technologies and poetic computation, the work presents a parallel universe that celebrates the metaphysical connection between oceans and stars, diving into a speculative past while travelling towards a celestial future.
Under Waters Glossary
https://pica.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Glossary_Under-Waters.pdf
This guide explains what kind of artwork Under Waters is and how it works. As you watch the PICA Art Talks video with the artists from Friends with Computers—April Phillips, Pat Younis and Jordan East—you can use this glossary to help understand words and ideas.Show More
PICA Art Talks: Second Generation Collective
Go behind the scenes with artists Asha Kiani and Araan Kousari as they ...
Go behind the scenes with artists Asha Kiani and Araan Kousari as they reveal the collaborative process behind 'Vádyé Eshgh وادی عشق (Valley of Love)', a major new commission by ...Second Generation Collective at PICA (17 October–21 December 2025). Inspired by 'The Seven Valleys' text written after 1856 in Persian by Baháʼu’lláh, the founder of the Baháʼí Faith, their multi-disciplinary work explores identity, spirituality and the transformative power of love. Comprised of Iranian-Australian artists in Boorloo (Perth), the Collective uses storytelling and collaboration to navigate grief and displacement, fostering healing and bridging generational and cultural divides.Show More
PICA Art Talks: Hatched 2025 with Litia Roko
PICA Art Talks: Hatched 2025 with Tom Duffy
PICA Art Talks: International & National Opportunities for Aboriginal Artists
Facilitator: Emilia Galatis Speakers: Sharyn Egan, Dalisa Pigram, ...
Facilitator: Emilia Galatis
Speakers: Sharyn Egan, Dalisa Pigram, Tyrown Waigana, Sylvia Wilson.
Facilitated by Emilia Galatis and featuring artists, performers and curators from independent and art centre backgrounds, this ...panel will discuss opportunities and experiences in presenting and touring Aboriginal art nationally and internationally, to access new markets, audiences and networks.Show More
PICA Art Talks: Creative Sovereignty & Legacies
Facilitator: Georgia Mokak Speakers: Amanda Bell, Shannon Clohessy, ...
Facilitator: Georgia Mokak
Speakers: Amanda Bell, Shannon Clohessy, Charmaine Green, Emily Rose
This conversation brings together artists, curators and advocates to discuss important questions relating to legacies, sovereignty and autonomy ...for Aboriginal people working in the creative industries. Speakers will discuss questions including what does the next generation of Aboriginal creative advocates envision for the future? How can the broader arts industry collectively support a strong future centred around Aboriginal creative sovereignty?Show More
PICA Art Talks: Amanda Bell and the Judy Wheeler Commission
Hear 2025 Judy Wheeler Commission recipient Amanda Bell speak about ...
Hear 2025 Judy Wheeler Commission recipient Amanda Bell speak about her site responsive artwork F = m•a (five ways to make a rainbow) located in PICA’s stairwell and balconies.
In 2025, ...for the first time, PICA hosts the Revealed exhibition, an annual showcase established in 2008 that brings together Aboriginal art centres and independent artists from across Western Australia. This powerful exhibition showcases the breadth of contemporary Aboriginal artistic practice, offering a unique opportunity to connect with the artists and their work.
During Weekends at PICA: Revealed, audiences of all ages were invited to explore, learn and engage through hands-on art-making workshops, thought-provoking conversations and hearing directly from the artists about their creative practices.
Established to honour the legacy of Judy Wheeler, an enduring lover and supporter of the arts, the commission is made possible by a philanthropic gift by the Simpson Family.Show More
PICA Art Talks: Nuriah Jadai and Zali Morgan
Hear exhibition curator Zali Morgan in conversation with artist Nuriah ...
Hear exhibition curator Zali Morgan in conversation with artist Nuriah Jadai as they discuss Jadai’s creative practices and the stories behind their work.
In 2025, for the first time, PICA hosts ...the Revealed exhibition, an annual showcase established in 2008 that brings together Aboriginal art centres and independent artists from across Western Australia. This powerful exhibition showcases the breadth of contemporary Aboriginal artistic practice, offering a unique opportunity to connect with the artists and their work.
During Weekends at PICA: Revealed, audiences of all ages were invited to explore, learn and engage through hands-on art-making workshops, thought-provoking conversations and hearing directly from the artists about their creative practices.
The Revealed exhibition is proudly delivered under the custodianship of the Aboriginal Art Centre Hub WA (AACHWA)–the peak advocacy and resource body for Aboriginal art centres in the state. The Revealed edition of Weekends at PICA is generously supported by Wesfarmers Arts, Tourism WA and the City of Perth.Show More
PICA Art Talks: Julianne Wade and Zali Morgan
Exhibiting artist Julianne Wade in conversation with 'Revealed' ...
Exhibiting artist Julianne Wade in conversation with 'Revealed' curator Zali Morgan. Listen as they discuss Wade’s inclusions in the 2025 Revealed exhibition and the inspiration behind this work.
In 2025, for ...the first time, PICA hosts the Revealed exhibition, an annual showcase established in 2008 that brings together Aboriginal art centres and independent artists from across Western Australia. This powerful exhibition showcases the breadth of contemporary Aboriginal artistic practice, offering a unique opportunity to connect with the artists and their work.
During Weekends at PICA: Revealed, audiences of all ages were invited to explore, learn and engage through hands-on art-making workshops, thought-provoking conversations and hearing directly from the artists about their creative practices.
The 'Revealed' exhibition is proudly delivered under the custodianship of the Aboriginal Art Centre Hub WA (AACHWA)–the peak advocacy and resource body for Aboriginal art centres in the state. The Revealed edition of Weekends at PICA is generously supported by Wesfarmers Arts, Tourism WA and the City of Perth.Show More
PICA Art Talks: Cement Frogs the Ghost of a Swamp, Tyrown Waigana
Cement Frogs the Ghost of a Swamp by Wandandi Noongar and Ait Koedhal ...
Cement Frogs the Ghost of a Swamp by Wandandi Noongar and Ait Koedhal artist and designer Tyrown Waigana is the second in PICA’s annual series of mural paintings commissioned for ...the walls outside PICA’s public entrance.
Waigana was inspired by the network of wetlands that were once a prominent feature of the landscape that is now Perth, where PICA is situated. An ‘urban wetland’ that was established in Perth’s Cultural Centre in 2010 in recognition and remembrance of its original landscape will be drained and infilled as part of its revamp, due to commence in early 2025.
Reflecting on the incremental disappearance of wetlands across the city, Waigana looks to the Kyooya (Motorbike Frog) – a common green tree frog found in the region – ‘as a metaphor for an abundance of life both pre and post-colonisation.’ The iconic species populates the surfaces of the mural walls, painted against a blue background that hints at the presence of fresh water underneath the city and patterned with spots and patches resembling the skin markings found on the backs of the Kyooya.
Cement Frogs the Ghost of a Swamp celebrates swamps as abundant places, vital for supporting a range of wildlife such as the Kyooya, and ecologically and spiritually significant to the traditional owners. Grounding PICA in its location on Whadjuk Noongar boodja, Cement Frogs the Ghost of a Swamp invites visitors to engage with the stories, histories and forces that continue to shape the area.
‘Cement Frogs the Ghost of a Swamp will be a marker of place and a symbol of traditional Noongar knowledge as well as being a fun, welcoming piece for all ages to enjoy.’ – Tyrown WaiganaShow More
PICA Art Talks, In Her Footsteps: A Tribute to Matrilineal Legacy
In Her Footsteps: A Tribute to Matrilineal Legacy brings together ...
In Her Footsteps: A Tribute to Matrilineal Legacy brings together seven Australian artists who pay homage to the women who have shaped their lives—grandmothers, mothers, artistic matriarchs, leaders, ancestors and ...forebears. It celebrates and acknowledges the vital, transformative and nurturing pathways these women have forged, delving into themes of activism and empowerment through a compelling mix of new and existing works.
Hear from featured artists, Zali Morgan, Darcey Bella Arnold and Sarah Elson as they each go into details about their works.
Video: Edwin SittShow More
Lauren Burrow demonstrates the making of "Pressure on the rim of surface running over it" 2025
Exhibiting in PICA’s group exhibition, In Her Footsteps: A Tribute to ...
Exhibiting in PICA’s group exhibition, In Her Footsteps: A Tribute to Matrilineal Legacy, watch artist Lauren Burrow as she demonstrates her technique of using discarded materials such as a bicycle ...and washing machine to create works investigating connections between urban and rural places, and humans and the environment.Show More
Hatched 2024 Artist Talk
Hear from the 2024 Dr Harold Schenberg Arts Award recipients - Vedika ...
Hear from the 2024 Dr Harold Schenberg Arts Award recipients - Vedika Rampal and Lily Trnovsky – as they speak about their works in the Hatched: National Graduate Show 2024 ...and share insights into their artistic challenges, triumphs and efforts to remain agile as emerging artists. Learn more about Rampal’s material installation Pilgrimage II, 2023 and Trnovsky’s ceramic statement works.
The Dr Harold Schenberg Arts Awards are made possible by funds bequeathed to The University of Western Australia by Dr Harold Schenberg. Our thanks to PICA’s Art 1000 Donors and our Major Exhibition Partner Minderoo Foundation for their generosity which makes Hatched a reality.Show More
PICA's Interdisciplinary Lab: Short Documentary
A three-year partnership with PICA and Creative Australia brought ...
A three-year partnership with PICA and Creative Australia brought together artists from Australia, South Asia and Southeast Asia for the Interdisciplinary Lab – a series of facilitated discussions and practice-sharing ...workshops. The residency ended with several days in inner-city Melbourne where the artists were hosted by Next Wave at Brunswick Mechanics Institute.
To conclude the Interdisciplinary Lab, PICA partnered with the artists, Next Wave and Fancy Films on a short documentary that shares the group’s reflections on the nature of interdisciplinary practice and exchange.Show More
PICA Art Talks: J.D. Penangke
Yandilup is an outdoor mural painting by artist J.D. Penangke ...
Yandilup is an outdoor mural painting by artist J.D. Penangke commissioned for PICA’s new entrance. Titled after the Noongar name of the low lying wetlands area where PICA is located, ...this new site-specific work builds on J.D.’s extensive body of murals and public art across Boorloo (Perth).
Yandilup
J.D. Penangke
Video: Edwin Sitt
https://pica.org.au/whats-on/j-d-penangke-yandilup/Show More
PICA Art Talks: Agatha Gothe-Snape
Known for her distinct methodologies for mediating space and our ...
Known for her distinct methodologies for mediating space and our relationships to it, Gothe-Snape brings the full force of her conceptual and formal rigour to this new threshold to address ...notions of space, site and hospitality. Gothe-Snape has been working with PICA staff, the organisation’s archives, previous program participants and the architecture to spatialise the new foyer as ‘a site of function, relation and history, creating a distinct environment of colour, form and expectation; a place of both conviviality and transition.’
IT IS THE COLOUR OF AN IDEA THAT WILL NOT COMPLETE ITSELF was commissioned through the generosity of the Ungar Family Foundation.
Agatha Gothe-Snape
IT IS THE COLOUR OF AN IDEA THAT WILL NOT COMPLETE ITSELF
Video: Edwin SiitShow More
PICA Art Talks: Diana Baker Smith
Falling Towards Another (A Score for the Void) by Gadigal ...
Falling Towards Another (A Score for the Void) by Gadigal (Sydney)-based artist Diana Baker Smith is the second Judy Wheeler Commission, PICA’s annual series of site-specific works that respond to ...the history and site of PICA.
For this new commission, Baker Smith has created a graphic score and live performance in response to PICA’s iconic first-floor mezzanine level. The balcony corridor overlooks PICA’s Central Gallery and acts as an internal circulation loop, linking the administrative offices with shared spaces and artist studios.
The Judy Wheeler Commission is made possible by the generosity of the Simpson Family.
Falling Towards Another (A Score for the Void)
Diana Baker Smith
Dancers: Sofie Burgoyne, Emma Fishwick, Isabella Stone
Choreography: Diana Baker Smith, Sofie Burgoyne
Textile Consultant: Leah Giblin
Design assistance: Zoe Gojnich, Kait Polkinghorne
Clothing: Kowtow @kowtowclothing
Video: Edwin Sitt
https://pica.org.au/whats-on/diana-baker-smith-falling-towards-another-a-score-for-the-void/Show More
Making contemporary performance in 'Catastrophes' with Renée Newman and Ella Hetherington
'Catastrophes' is an autobiographical contemporary performance in ...
'Catastrophes' is an autobiographical contemporary performance in which Renée Newman and Ella Hetherington play themselves. In this educational video, the Boorloo (Perth)-based theatre makers discuss the performance conventions, lighting, set ...and sound design behind the show.
'Catastrophes' was commissioned by PICA and supported by PICA’s Art Commissioners and the WA Government through the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries. It was presented at PICA from 16–23 August 2023.
https://pica.org.au/whats-on/catastrophes-renee-newman-ella-hetherington/Show More
Marrugeku – Burrbgaja Yalirra 2
In 2023, PICA and Marrugeku presented the world premiere of Burrbgaja ...
In 2023, PICA and Marrugeku presented the world premiere of Burrbgaja Yalirra 2 – a powerful triple bill of new dance works that traced histories of migration, adaptation, and survival ...in two fiercely physical dance solos and an awe-inspiring duo.
Marrugeku is Australia’s leading Indigenous and intercultural dance theatre company. PICA spoke to Marrugeku’s Co-Artistic Directors Dalisa Pigram and Rachael Swain about the unique multi-year development program for their ongoing triple bill series, and how the performing arts can help build understanding between cultures.Show More
Hatched: National Graduate Show 2023 with Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran & Paean Sarkar
'Hatched' is Australia’s only national survey of recent art school ...
'Hatched' is Australia’s only national survey of recent art school graduates, showcasing work from the most exciting emerging artists from across the nation.
Since 2010, PICA has offered the ...Schenberg Awards as part of the Hatched program, with a total of $50,000 prize money for three artists to invest in their careers and develop their artistic practice. The Dr Harold Schenberg Art Fellowship of $35,000 is awarded to the most outstanding Hatched work. These awards are made possible by funds bequeathed to the University of Western Australia by Dr Harold Schenberg.
Paean Sarkar from the Queensland University of Technology was the recipient of the Dr Harold Schenberg Art Fellowship and caught up with Judge and Sydney artist Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran.
The Schenberg Awards are made possible by funds bequeathed to the University of Western Australia by Dr Harold Schenberg.
Hatched runs at PICA March 13 – July 23, 2023
https://pica.org.au/whats-on/hatched-national-graduate-show-2023/
Credit: 'Hatched: National Graduate Show 2023’, installation view, 2023, video: Edwin SittShow More
Robert Andrew – Held within a word
'Held within a word' by Meanjin (Brisbane)-based artist Robert Andrew ...
'Held within a word' by Meanjin (Brisbane)-based artist Robert Andrew combines kinetic installations with programmable technologies and natural materials such as wood, stone, ochres and soil.
A descendant of the ...Yawuru people whose Country is of the Broome region of the Kimberley, Western Australia, Andrew’s installations are expressions of experiences deeply rooted in his own family’s history and his ongoing recovery of knowledge about his family and identity.
'Held within a word' runs 10 February – 23 April 2023.
Learn more at https://pica.org.au/whats-on/robert-andrew/Show More
Rosa Barba – Emanations
'Emanations' by Italian artist Rosa Barba is their first solo ...
'Emanations' by Italian artist Rosa Barba is their first solo presentation in Australia and features a selection of works from the last 10 years, including 16mm and 35mm film, sculpture ...and installation.
'Emanations' runs 24 February – 23 April 2023.
Learn more at https://pica.org.au/whats-on/rosa-barba/
Video by Edwin SittShow More
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