Here We Are, 2024

That friction between control and abandon is a driving factor behind my work. We are able to fend off our compulsive tendencies and anxieties when we are in the moment. I find myself exploring questions of identity, gender, societal roles, and expectations. I feel that using a variety of mediums helps create that sense of organised chaos, my own visual language.

A Sydney-based artist who studied at COFA, Oliver Ackland’s work moves from fragmented portraits suggestive of dreams and narrative at play to more abstract, gestural compositions, incorporating experiments with mark-making using a variety of mediums.
A finalist in the Fishers Ghost Award 2023, he has exhibited with galleries such as
Sketch Co Gallery, Arcadia Gallery, and Ditty Wheels. He has also participated in the Sydney and Brisbane affordable art fairs. He is participating in this year’s St Vincent’s Art Exhibition, which raises funds for victims of domestic violence.