Photo Essay | Dennis Golding, Bingo | The Neighbour at the Gate
Bingo (2025) is a ten-metre-long wall installation by Kamilaroi/Gamilaraay artist Dennis Golding that draws from his recollections of family bingo nights hosted by his nan and aunty on Eveleigh Street in Redfern, Sydney. Gathering in an abandoned terrace house, they stitched together joy from what little they had; cutting game cards from cardboard, running power through borrowed cords, and making space for community.
The brick-like etchings and copper plates resemble the terracotta terraces of Redfern – a vital site of Aboriginal community and resistance, where Dennis was raised.
Each card tells a family story: cats curled on sun-warmed steps, the long coil of a corded phone, letters opened slowly, a cup of tea cooling by the sink, the quiet rattle of fishing gear. Earthy tones recall the walls of Dennis’ childhood and the ochres of Aboriginal art, while blue and red ink –reminiscent of biro – echoes the everyday. Some surfaces bear the dust of soil pressed gently into the paper, a residue of place.
Bingo offers no easy nostalgia. It speaks of strength formed in closeness, of laughter shared across tables, of walls that held community, not confinement. It is a tender monument to survival, made from the small, enduring things that hold us.
‘It wasn’t about winning, but the feeling of freedom and connection.’
– Dennis Golding
Bingo was commissioned by the National Art School Gallery for the major exhibition The Neighbour at the Gate (11 July – 18 October 2025) with proud support by the NSW Government through the Blockbusters Funding initiative. It was produced at the National Art School with the assistance of master printer and artist Janet Parker-Smith; Carolyn Mckenzie-Craig, NAS Head of Printmaking; and Rebecca O’Shea, NAS Printmaking Studio Technician.
Photography by Peter Morgan.
The National Art School is seeking an outstanding and experienced arts educator to join us as Head of Learning and Teaching.
The successful candidate will provide academic leadership including working closely with the Heads of academic departments and programs to lead the development and implementation of learning and teaching activities of higher education programs. This includes the development and delivery of curricula, the management of departmental staff and the development of learning and teaching resources.
The Head of Learning and Teaching is expected to provide artistic and scholarly leadership through professional example and will have a track record of original and innovative contributions to the advancement of scholarship, research and teaching within their respective field.
To learn more about the position and to apply, visit nas.edu.au.
Sep 3
Congratulations to NAS Alumni Ali Tahayori (@alitahayori) for being named the recipient of the 2025 NSW Visual Arts Fellowship (Emerging). and to Sophie Cape (@sophiecapeartist) for winning the 2025 Hadley`s Art Prize.
With a history spanning over 120 years, the 2025 NSW Visual Arts Fellowship remains one of the most significant springboards for the next generation of artists in NSW. The 2025 NSW Visual Arts Fellowship exhibition is on now at Artspace (@artspacesydney).
Established by Hadley’s Orient Hotel, Hobart in 2017, the Hadley’s Art Prize (@hadleysartprize) is one of Australia’s most lucrative art awards that celebrates landscape art. The collection of winning artworks are displayed at Hadley’s Orient Hotel.
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1) Ali Tahayori, `Union and Separation`, 2025. Installation view, 2025 NSW Visual Arts Fellowship (Emerging), Artspace, Sydney, 2025. Photo: Hamish McIntosh
2) Sophie Cape, `Thunder shifts the shivering sands`, 2024, rust, charcoal, soil, pigment and binder on canvas, 148cm x 160cm. Photo: Jessica King
Sep 2
Visit the National Art School this Saturday to peek inside the iconic sandstone walls of our campus.
See what life is like for our students by dropping into open studios across the campus, participting in studio demonstration, chatting to our academic staff in one-on-one consultation sessions and taking a gruided tour around the campus.
Make sure to RSVP in advance to secure your spot and receive a free tote bag - limited stock available! (Link in bio)
Sep 1
The National Art School is excited to present the next wave of Australia’s artistic talent at Sydney Contemporary 2025.
Located at Booth J12, we will be showcasing the work of nine emerging artists who have recently graduated from either our Master of Fine Art Program or our Bachelor of Fine Art Program. Highlighting the breadth and diversity of the National Art School’s program—renowned for its studio-based learning and practice-driven teaching—the NAS booth will feature outstanding work by emerging artists, including Jake Bartley @_trizm__, Christian Bonett @christian_bonett_art, Harrison Chao @w4r.h4mm3r, Lewis Doherty @lewisstepsandrew, Isabella Kennedy @isa.kennedy, Rachel Mackay @rachelmackay.art, Megan McKenzie @megan_mckenzie_, Johanna Ng @johanna__ng, and Taylor Steel @taylor__steel.
Learn more about our artists at the link in bio.
11 – 14 September, Carriageworks. We look forward to seeing you there!
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Jake Bartley, ‘Im at the Root of All Evil’, 2025, oil on canvas, 195 x 157.5 cm; Christian Bonett, ‘The G(A)Y team van’, 2024, glazed earthenware, 48 x 23 x 20 cm; Harison Chao, ‘Spectacular Optical’, 2024, oil on canvas, 110 x 95 cm; Lewis Doherty, ‘Carriage/Study for a Pattern’, 2025, bronze, casting remnants. 30 x 23.1 x 17 cm, unique; Isabella Kennedy, ‘swaddle/shroud’, 2024, inkjet print on Epson matte, 44 x 29.5 cm, edition of 3; Rachel Mackay, ‘Chimera 7’, 2025, oil on canvas, 91.4 x 61 cm; Megan McKenzie, ‘Float’, 2024, raku, stoneware and textured glazes, 70 x 30 x 30 cm (ceramics pieces only, height for suspension is variable); Johanna Ng, ‘a man holding a camera walks with a woman in front of an advertisement for carte bradesco’, 2024, from the series ‘Every Asian in Sex and the City’, inkjet print on clear film, inkjet print on cotton rag, 80.5 x 59.4 cm; Taylor Steel, ‘gathering dust’, 2024, polycarbonate, epoxy resin, toner, acetate, enamel, aluminium composite panel and stainless steel, aluminium frame, 31 x 25.5 cm; all images courtesy and © the artists
Aug 30
The National Art School was sad to hear that artist Robert Eadie died on the 22nd August at the age of 84.
He had been a practicing artist since he graduated from the National Art School in 1966, working across multiple mediums, including painting, drawing, sculpture and printmaking. He had a profound influence on his fellow students, including his friend of 60 years, Bill Brown, and they both taught together later at NAS. Bill remembers that ‘he was an inspiring teacher, who never taught ideals; in form, in concepts or outcomes. Instead, he showed students how to make sense of themselves, for the betterment of themselves.’
The National Art School sends our condolences to Rob’s family and many friends, and acknowledges his great contribution to the School.
Read the full Vale at nas.edu.au.
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Robert Eadie, c. 1978; Robert Eadie, `Figure on the beach`, 1966, oil on canvas on board, 53 x 54.5cm, National Art School Collection
Aug 29
`A landmark exhibition exploring the connections between First Nations and Asian Australian histories through contemporary art...Both poetic and political, The Neighbour at the Gate demonstrates how art can act as a gateway for healing, connection, and truth-telling amid contested notions of belonging.` - Vault Magazine
Celebrating one month of The Neighbour at the Gate at NAS Gallery, on with extended opening hours until 18 October 2025. Monday to Sunday, 11am – 5pm, free admission. Plan your visit at the link in bio.
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Installation view, The Neighbour at the Gate, National Art School Gallery, Sydney, 2025, image courtesy and © the artists, photograph: Peter Morgan
The Neighbour at the Gate has been made possible with the generous support of the NSW Government through its Blockbusters Funding initiative.
Aug 26
