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Artist Profile: NAS alumni Arash Chehelnabi

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Artist Profile: NAS alumni Arash Chehelnabi

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Article by: Victoria Hynes. Photo: Arash Chehelnabi, Nancy Fairfax Artist in Residence Studio, photographed by Kate Holmes, courtesy the artist and Tweed Regional Gallery & Margaret Olley Art Centre.

Visually and conceptually compelling, Chehelnabi’s deceptively simple paintings subconsciously play with the mind. Executed in a raw, almost childlike style, his practice involves a surrealist method of combining disparate motifs within the composition in order to unsettle or perplex the observer. Against the black walls of Tweed Regional Gallery & Margaret Olley Art Centre’s exhibition space, his luminous paintings pop with colour. Upon canvases painted in flat cerulean blue, tangerine orange or a white lime wash, everyday objects hover and float.

A sparse, ghostly tree ascends from the middle of the ocean, surrounded by shimmering waves. Circular, balloon-like shapes float on the sea below a sunset horizon. A small peaked mountain range is contained within a blue cube. The images are peculiar, absurd, and surprising, challenging the audience’s perceptions of reality.

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We are pleased to announce that applications are now open for the Prudence MacLeod Prize.

The Prudence MacLeod Prize, which will continue for a further three years, supports a recent National Art School graduate to undertake a six-month residency at @acme.art, London.

Supported by the Lansdowne Foundation, the Prize provides an emerging artist with an opportunity to step forward into an expanded, international context at a vital time in their career. The artist will live and work in London, one of the world`s great art cities, in a supportive artist community. This important opportunity will enable the artist to forge professional international contacts, explore London`s art world and rich cultural resources, and produce a new body of work.

The recipient of this Prize will receive:
– Return travel to London. To be arranged for the artist by NAS.
– Studio accommodation and workspace at Acme Studios for 6 months.
– Living stipend of $AUD3,500 per month for 6 months. Total $AUD21,000.

Application deadline: Sunday 1 February 2026, 11.59pm
Residency: Monday 6 July – Friday 18 December 2026

The Prudence MacLeod Prize is open to eligible NAS alumni who have graduated within the past five years and meet the selection criteria.

Learn more 🔗 in bio.

—
Acme Fire Station, 30 Gillender Street, 1999 © Acme Archive

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Dec 11

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We are pleased to announce that applications are now open for the Prudence MacLeod Prize. The Prudence MacLeod Prize, which will continue for a further three years, supports a recent National Art School graduate to undertake a six-month residency at @acme.art, London. Supported by the Lansdowne Foundation, the Prize provides an emerging artist with an opportunity to step forward into an expanded, international context at a vital time in their career. The artist will live and work in London, one of the world's great art cities, in a supportive artist community. This important opportunity will enable the artist to forge professional international contacts, explore London's art world and rich cultural resources, and produce a new body of work. The recipient of this Prize will receive: – Return travel to London. To be arranged for the artist by NAS. – Studio accommodation and workspace at Acme Studios for 6 months. – Living stipend of $AUD3,500 per month for 6 months. Total $AUD21,000. Application deadline: Sunday 1 February 2026, 11.59pm Residency: Monday 6 July – Friday 18 December 2026 The Prudence MacLeod Prize is open to eligible NAS alumni who have graduated within the past five years and meet the selection criteria. Learn more 🔗 in bio. — Acme Fire Station, 30 Gillender Street, 1999 © Acme Archive

Thank you to everyone who joined us at the opening of The Grad Show!

Find works by this year`s cohort exhibited throughout the NAS campus until 14 December. Open daily from 11am — 5pm and until 9pm on Fridays.

View online via 🔗 in bio.

—
Video: Tim Connolly

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Dec 5

Open post by nas_au with ID 18085817414025392
Thank you to everyone who joined us at the opening of The Grad Show! Find works by this year's cohort exhibited throughout the NAS campus until 14 December. Open daily from 11am — 5pm and until 9pm on Fridays. View online via 🔗 in bio. — Video: Tim Connolly
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