Artist Insider: Tasmanian artist Lucienne Rickard at National Art School for NIRIN, 22nd Biennale of Sydney

Artist Insider: Tasmanian artist Lucienne Rickard at National Art School for NIRIN, 22nd Biennale of Sydney

Tasmanian artist Lucienne Rickard spoke to NAS recently from self-isolation at her home in Franklin. Lucienne brought her year-long project Extinction Studies to the National Art School in March for the opening week of NIRIN, the 22nd Biennale of Sydney.

Since September 2019, Lucienne has been performing in public, drawing recently extinct animals from the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species. As soon as she finishes each intricately detailed drawing, she erases it, and starts another extinct animal on the same sheet of paper.

Commissioned by the Detached Cultural Organisation, based in Hobart, Extinction Studies has featured animals lost from around the world, including the Australian Big Eared Hopping Mouse and the Chinese Paddlefish – Lucienne erased both during her week at NAS.

Due to regulations for NAS as a tertiary institution, the campus remains closed to the general public. Lucienne’s installation, and other Biennale artworks commissioned for NIRIN and first exhibited at NAS in March, have been transferred to Carriageworks at Eveleigh, where they can be seen from 7 August to 26 September, 2020.

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Final weeks to visit The Neighbour at the Gate, closing Saturday 18 October. 

Across various mediums and perspectives, The Neighbour at the Gate charts the entangled legacies of exclusion and resilience, drawing vital parallels between the past and present, memory and nationhood.

Learn more about the exhibition and plan your visit at the link in bio. 

Please note: the gallery is closed for Labour Day Monday 6 October
Enjoy 20% off a Summer School Short Course with code FLASHSALE20

Don’t miss this exclusive 20% off flash sale on the National Art School Summer School Short Courses (link in bio). Flash Sale starts right now and ends midnight Monday 6 October.*

*Offer begins midday Friday 3 October and ends midnight Monday 6 October. Terms and conditions apply.
We are pleased to share the exciting news that we are introducing a new BFA (Hons) degree at the National Art School in 2026.

The Bachelor of Fine Art (Honours) is an intensive one-year program designed for graduates of the BFA who are ready to deepen their studio practice and expand their academic and professional capabilities. This course is ideal for emerging artists who want to refine their practice, build industry connections, and prepare for postgraduate study or professional opportunities in the creative sector.

New scholarships will be available to students entering the BFA (Hons), with further details to be shared later this year. For more information and key dates, visit futurestudents.nas.edu.au (link in bio).
Join us for free 18+ concert 'Afterglow' – The Neighbour at the Gate exhibition closing party.

Headlined by Miss Kaninna, the event features performances by HYLANDER, Rocky Stallone, BRINA, Kuya Hennessy, and DJ Court Jester. RSVP today as tickets are going fast!

Afterglow 
Thursday 16 October 
Doors: 4.30pm
Concert starts: 7.00pm
Cell Block Theatre, National Art School

Please note: if the Cell Block reaches capacity, you’re welcome to enjoy the concert from the courtyard until space opens up inside. Food trucks and pop up bar.

FREE ADMISSION, RSVP is essential due to limited capacity (link in bio)
Congratulations to NAS Short Courses Painting Lecturer Michelle Hiscock (@michellelouisemariehiscock) for winning the 2025 Portia Geach Memorial Award with her work, 'The Weather Watcher after Zurbarán'. 

The Portia Geach Memorial Award is the pre-eminent portraiture prize for women in Australia, established by Florence Kate Geach in memory of her sister in 1965. 

An exhibition of all finalists’ works is open for public viewing at the S.H. Ervin Gallery (@shervingallery) in The Rocks, Sydney, from Friday 19 September until Sunday 2 November.

Visit shop.nas.edu.au (link in bio) to book now for Term 4 Short Courses. Summer School Short Courses in January 2026 will open for booking from Friday 3 October. 

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Michelle Hiscock, 'The Weather Watcher after Zurbarán', 2025, oil on linen, 50 x 40 cm, courtesy of the artist and the S.H. Ervin Gallery (The Rocks, Sydney)
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