UC’s Painted Pianos

By Cecilia A.

Photo: Painted Piano on the UC Concourse

The painted pianos were one of the first campus artworks I noticed when wandering around UC. Each one is unique with striking designs. I was curious to find out who painted them, how long they had been there, and for how long they will remain.

The one I have walked past several times at the Concourse captures my attention with its vibrant red, yellow, and pink. From afar, it is hard to read each letter that extends down from the piano case onto the fallboard. Once I stopped to look at the painting it was clear from the text and iconography that the painting reflects Canberra.

Who would be interested in painting a Canberra-themed artwork onto a piano? I found out the four pianos were donated by community members. They were painted in 2015 by arts and design students from Shanghai Normal University, visiting UC to take part in a public art project.

The paintings reflect Canberra as well as Australian-Chinese comparisons. This piano captures both the earthy tones of the natural environment and Parliament House as a well-known landmark. It is interesting that Parliament House is painted yellow unlike the cityscape. This expresses the uncertain nature of the building and merges it into the natural environment. Parliament House is placed between the city on one side and the trees on the other, emphasising the representation of the structure as between natural and built environment. Foreign artists capture the sights that stand out to them as intrinsically Australian. As well, features of Canberra’s environment and culture resonate with foreign places. Red and yellow are used on some of the piano paintings, showcasing the shared colours of Canberra and Shanghai.

The pianos deserve to be a permanent display on campus. But what is the purpose of creating a painting on a piano? As a public art piece this expresses the synthesis of music and visual art. These types of artworks make music and visual art more accessible and community focused. Does a painted piano further audience interest in musical performance? Or, possibly with the intention to upcycle an old or broken instrument, does it reclassify the object from an auditory to a visual art form? As such, this painted piano was created to be viewed with the fallboard closed.

It is strange I have never seen or heard anyone play these pianos. The posters above could be utilised to encourage interaction with the piano. Are they still intended to be interactive art? If so, maybe it would be more inviting if the fallboard was open and a stool was placed in front.

I See the Light: ‘Spirit Dreaming’ by Liz McNiven

By Cecilia A.

Photo: ‘Spirit Dreaming’ on display at UC

Spirit Dreaming (1993) was created in Kamberri/Canberra by Liz McNiven of the Badyidi (Budjiti) people in Southwest Queensland. This artwork at UC is on long term loan from the National Gallery of Australia as part of the ‘Sharing the National Collection’ initiative.

I first walked past this artwork while trying to locate the room for the X-Crew training session in July. As I walked down the corridor on Level C in Building 1, the artwork’s illuminated nature caught my attention, glowing purple onto the walls and ceiling. The artwork caught my attention for a second time when I sat down nearby and saw its reflection in the window.

Before I knew anything about the artist or artwork, I assumed it was an Aboriginal design due to the spiral and dots. However, as I turned around, I saw the ‘Chaplaincy’ sign on the room the artwork was facing towards. This appears to be a deliberate curatorial decision. I began to think the artwork was interconnected across multiple forms of spirituality. To me, its shape somewhat resembles a cross, and light can be associated with divine presence.

The artwork’s location expresses the resilience of Aboriginal Dreaming over foreign faiths. Furthermore, being created from modern materials of steel and neon lighting, and the use of purple and blue instead of traditional ochre colours, conveys the continuation and transformation of an ancient culture. However, the artwork can also be interpreted as communicating the coexistence of different forms of spirituality.

While audiences may interpret Spirit Dreaming in different ways, Liz McNiven provides her own explanation for the use of neon to ‘highlight the strength and vitality of Aboriginal cultural beliefs.’ In addition, she describes the four tracks as representing earth, sky, water, and fire, and north, east, south, and west, to indicate the flowing of stories in all directions.

I do not feel a connection to the spiritual elements of the artwork. Yet, I like how its display at UC demonstrates an acceptance of different faiths and cultures. For me, when I first viewed Spirit Dreaming, it provided a sense of comfort in an unfamiliar place.

All the Small Things:
Canberra’s Tiny Exhibition Spaces

By Cecilia A.

Photo A: Exhibition at Chutespace

Photo B: Mural Project at Platform

Canberrans and visitors alike may be surprised to learn how many art gallery spaces there are in the region, reflecting a dynamic and thriving local arts scene. These are two of my favourite small (and free) gallery spaces that I’ve enjoyed visiting this Winter:

Platform in Forrest/Manuka

This streetside gallery is the satellite project of Canberra Contemporary in Parkes. You might stumble upon this place while walking through the busy Manuka shopping precinct. Platform houses a single, small exhibition space. This displays the creations of artists often working on Ngunnawal and Ngambri Country across a diverse range of media.

The first thing I noticed as I approached the gallery was the bright colours of the mural on the outside wall. This is part of gallery’s ‘Mural Project’. Currently, Kirsten Farrell’s Title (2024) is displayed. This is a text-based work incorporating titles from previous Platform exhibitions. Although this mural obviously consists of a lot of text, the colours stood out to me first. It felt inviting against the dark walls of a partially obscured building. Once close enough to read the text, I was intrigued about what I will find inside and interested in the history of this place.

Inside the gallery is an intimate, echoing space. You have no choice but to get up close to the art of local and emerging talent. If you’re lucky, you might even meet the artist who is occasionally present at the gallery during their exhibition.

The current exhibition is Oliva Gates’ Distant blues, from a little closer (2026), her first solo exhibition, working with mixed media including glass, textiles, photography, and watercolour. The artworks are made up of solemn hues of blue and grey. This simulates the memory-evoking aesthetic of the vintage cyanotype style of photographic printing.

 

Chutespace in Griffith

Chutespace is a unique gallery located at M16 Artspace, likely to be Canberra’s smallest exhibition space. It was created from an after-hours return at the former Griffith library. Each year the space hosts 12 four-week exhibitions by artists from across a wide range of backgrounds and creative interests. Chutespace is easy to miss when visiting M16, located on the right side of the entrance at the top of the ramp.

The first thing I noticed when approaching Chutespace was that it looked like an ordinary book return chute. I was delighted to see the charming and vibrant glass Dahlias (2026) by Bec Schaefer. While the flowers express a cheerful feeling, I also felt a contrasting sense of sadness towards their confinement in a restricted space.

It is difficult to get up close to the artwork that is concealed by thick glass. Dahlias appeared to be best viewed from above to observe the detail in the centre of the flowers. Instead, this was prevented by the lower angle of viewing the installation in Chutespace. Nonetheless, I appreciate how Chutespace challenges the traditional exhibition environment by greatly limiting the space required to exhibit artwork and engaging audiences with small-scale art.

Bein’ Green: The Frogs of UC

By Cecilia A.

Photo: one of the residents of the frog tank in Building 27, Level C.

Did you know the UC X-Crew have their own mascot? His name is Freddie and he is an adorable, soft, plush frog! He even has his own UC outfit made by our Repair Cafe.

Freddie is not the only frog on campus. Have you met the real-life frogs in Building 27 that live near the heritage conservation laboratory?

I first encountered these charming creatures last month while participating in the UC Paper Preservation short course. They certainly caught the attention of the other course participants. These frogs are as still as a statue, but you will find them in a different spot of the tank each time you visit. I was able to spot five, but there were likely a couple more perfectly camouflaging or hiding.

These amphibians are among many who are front and centre of environmental projects from the Canberra region. For instance, earlier this year a UC research team released the patriotically-coloured green and golden bell frogs who are returning to the ACT for the first time since the 1980s.

Researchers built pyramid domes known as ‘frog saunas’ to create ideal warm conditions at 15 wetlands across the territory. The frogs love these saunas. They also protect them by producing unfavourable conditions for the chytrid fungus that has devasted amphibians around the world.

Frogs, both real and plush, maintain an alluring quality. It may be the simplistic features of these creatures that make them so appealing, like the beloved children’s television character Kermit the Frog. The original 1955 Kermit was designed using an old turquoise coat and ping pong balls for eyes.

Frogs are certainly a favourite animal among craft groups – I even had a go at crafting one with my most basic crochet skills.

The delightful and quirky character of frogs, both in doll and living form, is only an advantage if this further motivates scientists and citizens alike to protect an iconic and crucial Australian species.

Do you know any other UC amphibians who are deserving of attention?

Beefing with a Statue was not on my 2026 Bingo Card

By Amber W.

3rd Year UC Student, Bachelor of Accounting

 

Artwork: Reclining Figure by Ante Dabro

Q: What did you notice first looking at this artwork?

A: What made me first notice the sculpture was that it was on its side, specifically that it was lying on its side. I have never noticed the art piece before because of its colouring. The dark grey metallic look to it allowed it to blend with the foliage around it. So naturally, you would not notice it.

It also takes a while for your eyes to adjust and make out what the sculpture looks like, because the sculpture is more of a blob on its side before you can make out the humanoid figure. It took me 2 trips to realise it was a human being on its side. Since then, I’ve just naturally noticed it more on my walks to and from buildings 6 and 7.

 

Q: What emotions or sensory feelings does this artwork evoke?

A: This is sort of stupid, but the first emotion it invoked in me was jealousy. This was because when coming to notice the art piece, I was heading to my 9 am class. I took notice of how the sculpture was leisurely lying on its side, seemingly relaxed and without a care in the world.

I noticed myself feeling jealous towards the sculpture, how they were just lying down and enjoying themselves, whilst I was lugging my bag and coffee to class. How I, in those few moments, wish that were me. Wish that I were the one leisurely lying down, chilling without a care in the world.

Then I caught myself feeling jealous towards a sculpture, me, a breathing, living human being, feeling jealousy towards an inanimate sculpture. After the jealousy came humour. Laughing at myself for feeling this way, then just going about my day, heading towards my class with a little bit of a smile on my face.