- FACEF announces five new grants totalling $60,000 to support French-Australian visual arts exchange projects
- Recipients include high-profile artists Mel O'Callaghan and Vir Andres Hera, with projects spanning major institutions like Art Gallery of NSW and Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris
- Programme aims to foster mobility and collaboration between French and Australian artists and institutions
Wednesday 28th January, 2026: The French Australian Cultural Exchange Foundation (FACEF) is today thrilled to announce the recipients of five brand new grants, supporting some of Australia’s and France’s most respected visual arts institutions and artists with a total of $60,000.
Established artists such as Mel O’Callaghan and Vir Andres Hera headline this inaugural grant initiative, which forms part of FACEF’s broader commitment to supporting artistic and curatorial exchange between the two countries. The program aims to enable mobility, foster collaboration and support the reciprocal development and presentation of creative projects in Australia and France.
The five grants announced today support the following projects:
- Art Gallery of New South Wales – support for Tyiirr: A Room of One’s Ghosts, a new project by French-Mexican artist Vir Andres Hera, for an upcoming exhibition at the Art Gallery of New South Wales in 2027.
- La Biennale de Lyon– support for the participation of Australian artists in one of the most influential international contemporary art events in France.
- La Perouse Museum – support for French artist Nicolas Montgermont to participate in Transmission Point, a site-specific radio and sound art exhibition.
- Maningrida Arts and Culture – support for a project by the artists of Maningrida to bring Kuninjku Art in France and mark the legacy of Balang (John Mawurndjul), who travelled to Paris in 2006 to paint works for the Musée du Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac.
- Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris – support for Pulse of the Planet, a solo project by Australian artist Mel O’Callaghan combining exchanges, performances, sound and video.
Dedicated to strengthening cultural ties between Australia and France, the grants were awarded by an international jury of leading experts, including the Directors of the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, the National Gallery of Victoria and La Cité Internationale des Arts, alongside the President of the Musée du Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac, and senior curators from Palais de Tokyo, Tate Modern and Fondation Opale.
President of the Jury, Ms Suzanne Cotter, said “The five successful recipients of this year’s Resonance Grants were considered by the Jury to be outstanding in their potential to foster the mobility of ideas and perspectives through exchanges between French and Australian artists and institutions.
All five of the grant recipients address contemporary themes including collaboration, ecology, care and community, transmission, and connection to Country. We look forward to the realisation of each of the projects which we have no doubt will have tremendous cultural impact”.
The French-Australian Cultural Exchange Foundation will announce more opportunities for artists soon. Full details will be available at https://www.facef.org/
About us:
About the French-Australian Cultural Exchange Foundation
Established in 2023 as an initiative of the French and Australian governments, the French-Australian Cultural Exchange Foundation (FACEF) is a not-for-profit charity dedicated to promoting cultural and intellectual exchange between Australia, France and the French Overseas Territories. The Foundation develops ambitious programs and partnerships that set new benchmarks for creative collaboration between the two countries.
Contact details:
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KABUKU PUBLIC RELATIONS
Belinda Dyer: [email protected] | 0415 686 014
