At PICA we recognise that we are situated within the unceded lands of the Whadjuk people of the Noongar Nation. We pay our respects and offer our gratitude to Elders past and present. We acknowledge all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and the importance of their care and continued connection to culture, community and Country.

Always was, always will be.

Galleries are open 12–5pm. Our exhibitions are always free.

Natalia Myślińska

Creative Development: Vivarium

Creative Development: Vivarium

PICA is proud to support the Most Promising Contemporary Performance Award to graduates of the Bachelor of Performing Arts at WAAPA. The award consists of a two-week development period at PICA plus mentoring and support from the PICA team. In 2026, the Award went to Natalia Myślińska she will be joined by James Brooks, Ella Peeters, Olivia Taliangis and Alex Franklin for their project Vivarium. 

Vivarium brings out feelings of dissatisfaction with the limited perspectives the Western world offers on nonhuman lifeforms. During their residency, the group will explore ideas of care and relationships to other life forms on Earth.

About the artists

Natalia Myślińska is a recent graduate of WAAPA’s Bachelor of Performing Arts (Performance Making) degree and Bachelor of Creative and Performing Arts (Honours). Starting young in creative writing and moving into visual arts, Myślińska’s love for performance arose out of a passion for dance and acting and moved into direction and creation. No matter if the form is musical or puppetry or anything between, Myślińska’s artistic interests lie in interpersonal relationships and how to understand the world and one’s place in it. Myślińska’s goal is always to make work that feels alive in hope that audiences find resonance in it, big or small. Myślińska’s recent performance credits include Young Frankenstein (2024), Katzenumisk (WAAPA BPA, 2025) and Dance Nation (WAAPA BA, 2026), with production credits including ControlHer (WAAPA, 2024), TILT (WAAPA BPA, 2025) and Hard Cheese: Rat in the City: One Last Bite (The Blue Room Theatre, Fringe World, & Dream Simulator, 2026).

James Brooks is a theatre-maker from Eora/Sydney, residing in Boorloo/Perth and a graduate of the BPA program at WAAPA. After completing a Bachelor of Linguistics/Japanese, Brooks decided to pursue theatre more seriously and completed a short course at NIDA, prior to being accepted into WAAPA. Brooks worked with WAYTCO (REST, 2019) and appeared as the lead performer in The Late Great Andrew Tate (2024) as a part of Summer Nights at The Blue Room Theatre (TBRT). Brooks won two awards for his final-year projects for TILT (2025) by TBRT and WAAPA, which gave him residency opportunities at TBRT and PICA. Most recently, Brooks produced, wrote and performed in the award-nominated, sell-out show Hard Cheese: Rat in the City: One Last Bite for Summer Nights at TBRT & Fringe World (2026).

Ella Peeters (she/they) is an emerging theatre-maker, writer, performer and stage manager based in Boorloo. A 2025 graduate of WAAPA’s Bachelor of Performing Arts (Performance Making) (BPA), they’re passionate about telling bold stories that are visually striking, unsettling and funny. Ella is a proud queer and neurodivergent artist who strives to lead with care, compassion and resilience to help make a better world for all. Recent credits include assistant stage-managing A Cure For Loneliness (The Blue Room Theatre, 2026), Call Me Mother and Shark! for Fringe World 2026 and working as a performer/devisor with various theatre companies including Spare Parts Puppet Theatre (Echolocation, 2025), WAYTCo (Rest 2019, Boxed In 2020, Beside 2021) and The Blue Room Theatre (The Late Great Andrew Tate, 2024). They’re excited to revisit the world of Vivarium and grateful to be a recipient of the PICA Contemporary Performance Award.

Olivia Taliangis is a multi-disciplinary performer, theatre maker, dancer and movement artist based in Boorloo /Perth, with a background in acting, dancing directing, performance making, choreographing and devised ensemble work. Her practice is deeply collaborative, cross-cultural, and committed to creating work that challenges audiences and extends the boundaries of form. Graduating from the Bachelor of Performing Arts (Performance Making) at WAAPA in 2025, she performed in Generator 2024: Frontier (2024), Matters Out of Place (2024), Katzenmusik (2025), TILT (2025) and Echolocation (2025). Olivia has worked with The Arthaus Group (Glam Rock Vol. 1, 2022), Dance Festival for Ukraine (2023), The Dream Dance Company (Industry Night: Studio Edition, 2024 & 2025), NXTGEN Project’s production of Next Generation (2025). She recently performed in The Blue Room Theatre’s 2026 Summer Nights program in The Chair of St Peter (& Other Games) (2026), and STRUT Dance’s CERCLES (2026) as part of Perth Festival. Olivia is a current member of WAAPA’s graduate pre-professional dance company, LINK and undertaking her Bachelor of Creative and Performing Arts (Honours).   

Alex Franklin is an emerging artist and a 2025 graduate of the Bachelor of Performing Arts (Performance Making) from WAAPA. His skills are based in acting, writing, directing, beatbox and photography. His primary interests reside in poetic writing, movement theatre and film. His practice is rooted in using music to fuel performance, often driving a jaded poetic style of dialogue and movement. This practice is also led with a strong aesthetic taste inspired by his personal love for photography, especially analogue. Recent credits include The Pool (Black Swan, 2024), Katzenmusik (WAAPA BPA, 2025), Echolocation (WAAPA BPA & Spare Parts Puppet Theatre, 2025) and Rabbit’s Foot (Mike Color, 2026). 

Supporters

PICA’s Studio Program is supported by PICA’s Art Ambassadors, WAAPA and ECU.