BREEZE >>> PICA Residency: Perth to Makassar 12 May to 8 June, 2025

During my residency in Makassar, I’ll be developing my project Horizon: Habitat, which explores water as a metaphor for the fluidity of cultural identity and migration.

As a second-generation Filipina/Australian, I’m interested in how material aspirations and consumerism shape our sense of identity and belonging. In Makassar—a city shaped by its long-standing relationship to water, migration, and trade—I’ll be investigating the environmental and cultural impacts of consumerism, and exploring the parallels between Makassar, Perth, and the Philippines.

This residency forms part of the second year of BREEZE, a collaborative initiative between PICA, Rumata’ Artspace, and Universitas Negeri Makassar.

BREEZE also revisits the deep historical connections between Australian First Nations peoples and the Makassans—ties that stretch back well before colonisation. It’s an honour to take part in a program that creates space for meaningful dialogue and creative collaboration across regions.

I’ve been selected as a finalist for the National Photographic Portrait Prize 2025, presented by the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra.

48 finalists were chosen from thousands of entries across Australia, and I’m honoured to have my work included among them. I’ll be heading to Canberra in August to see the exhibition in person and meet the other finalists. A heartfelt thank you to the judges and the team at the National Portrait Gallery for this incredible opportunity.

https://www.portrait.gov.au/nppp-finalists.php

I’m excited to share that my solo exhibition, Veiled In Bloom, will be showing at Michael Reid Northern Beaches from 3–26 April 2024. The exhibition will run both in the gallery and online, making the work accessible no matter where you’re based.

You’re warmly invited to the opening event on Saturday, 12 April from 2–4 pm at the gallery.

Veiled In Bloom brings together new work from the past couple of years alongside selected earlier pieces, marking my first time exhibiting in New South Wales. The series explores themes of cultural identity, consumerism, and belonging—through reimagined everyday objects staged against striking sky-blue backdrops.

If you’re in the area or following along online, I’d love for you to experience the work and connect.

For enquiries or to preview the works, please contact: northernbeaches@michaelreid.com.au

View https://michaelreidnorthernbeaches.com.au/artist/sherry-quiambao/