After close to four years as the Director of West Space, Phip Murray will leave at the end of June to pursue other curatorial, academic and writing projects.

Phip has been a dynamic and visionary Director, leading and managing a complex and expanded artistic program. Dominic Redfern, Chair of the West Space Board, says that ‘Phip’s are some very difficult shoes to fill. She has taken our organisation into a completely new phase of its evolution during her tenure and we will miss her enormously.’

Phip leaves behind her a re-imagined and invigorated West Space. Key achievements include the move to a custom built new space in the heart of Melbourne’s CBD, the implementation of a dynamic responsive programming model across three new spaces (reading room, front space and back space) that work alongside our three core application-based galleries, the securing of Australia Council for the Arts Key Organisation funding, increased staffing capacity and volunteer base, the creation of an expansive ‘after hours’ program, the rebranding of the organisation, and the design and launch of an ambitious and dynamic new website.

‘The last four years have been incredibly exciting for me, offering great opportunities for personal and professional development’ says Phip. ‘I have very much enjoyed my role at West Space, particularly during this time of real transformation. I will miss working with the many talented and accomplished artists and arts lovers surrounding West Space, but I look forward to seeing West Space change and grow into the future – there are many exciting times ahead.’

West Space is pleased to use this opportunity to also announce that the organisation will be able to reduce rental fees on the spaces by 25% in 2013. It is exciting to be able to take this initial step towards removing fees, which has been a long held ambition for the organisation.

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West Space is commencing recruitment for a new Director.
We are looking for a dynamic and visionary person to lead and manage our exciting and diverse program of events, exhibitions, and publications.

Key responsibilities include leading and managing our artistic program, advocacy for the organisation, financial and human resource management, and the development of new creative projects. Competitive applicants will have a proven track record of experience in producing critically engaged cultural events, securing funding from a variety of sources, and dealing with stakeholders across the spectrum of our sector.

The position is 0.8 EFT and a full position description including the key selection criteria may be downloaded from here.

Applications close Thursday 7 June 2012.
Please lodge applications via email to Dominic Redfern, Chair of the West Space board, at dominic.redfern [at] rmit.edu.au
Applications should include the names and contact details of two referees. If you have any questions please email Dominic Redfern.

Please note all shortlisted applicants will be advised on Monday 11 June, and interviewed on Monday 18 June.

Please come and help us celebrate 2011!
Saturday 17 December, 5-8pm.

Lighting by Andrew Sinclair
P.A. by Scott Mitchell
Music by Nick Selenitsch + friends
Pong Ping Tournament by Laith McGregor
Art by The Telepathy Project, Polly Stanton and Saskia Moore, Laith McGregor, Ross Coulter, Michael Ciavella and Alex Ippolitti

It has been an exciting year for West Space and we would like to thank everyone for their hard work and support.

Please join us on the last day of exhibitions for a couple of drinks, some food and a few games of ping pong plus special festive art installation by Andrew Sinclair and Scott Mitchell.

Pong Ping Tournament starts at 5.30pm. Register your name by 5pm!

Please come along to West Space to celebrate the launch of Justin Clemens' new book Minimal Domination.

THURSDAY 20 OCTOBER 2011
6:30 FOR 7PM LAUNCH

Minimal Domination collects over a decade’s writing on contemporary art. The title is drawn from contemporary mathematics: a minimally dominating set is the smallest set of points that neighbour all other points of a graph. A minimally dominating set is therefore a multiple and a structure which has privileged access to what it’s not. This is the secret of contemporary art, which creates discrete selections from which we can survey the whole.

Justin Clemens has written extensively on contemporary Australian art. Former art critic for The Monthly, he currently teaches at the University of Melbourne.

Minimal Domination is designed by Brad Haylock and published by Surpllus. Brad Haylock is an artist, a designer (mostly of books), and a lecturer in design at Monash University. Surpllus is an independent publisher of printed matter pertaining to critical and speculative practices, including (but not limited to) artists’ books and zines, exhibition catalogues, and critical writing and theory.

Minimal Domination will be launched by Phip Murray, director of West Space, board member of un Projects, and frequent writer about art.

Minimal Domination
ISBN 978-0-9807536-8-4
RRP: AUD25
Special launch price(!): AUD20

Jeremy Bakker, Hamish Carr, Hisaharu Motoda, Atsunobu Katagiri, Nobuaki Onishi, Kiron Robinson, Ai Sasaki and Utako Shindo.

17 September – 27 November 2011
Kurumaya Museum of Art, Oyama City.

Immanent Landscape is a sensory and instinctive landscape. It is what you might call an invisible vision. It will stimulate viewer’s memories and immaginations, and recall anticipations of what may happen and what might have happened.

The exhibition in Oyama will be comprised of new works, which reflect the first phase what was held at West Space last year. The works will be exhibited across the entire premises, including the Ogawa Families house and Fertilizer Storages as well as the gallery spaces.

For more information about the project that featured at West Space last year please visit the Immanent Landscape page.

Curated by Sean Peoples and Veronica Kent from The Telepathy Project with artists from Australia, Brazil, Germany, France, Papua New Guinea and Spain.

Mothers, daughters, husbands, wives, lovers, colleagues, disciples, friends; telepathy most certainly works, but does it work best between people that are intimately connected? Telepathy and Love: The Spanish Apartment invites groups of artists in unique relationships to make work together exploring this question. The exhibition premieres this September in Barcelona then tours to West Space for its rebirth and re-imagining in November.

Featuring: Ms&Mr, Anastasia Klose and Elizabeth Presa, A Constructed World and Lucca Pucci, The Telepathy Project, Lizzy Newman and Justin Clemens, Ross Coulter and Meredith Turnbull, Nicki Wynnychuk and Matthew Shannon, Anna Hess and Christelle Faucoulanche, Simon Pericich and himself and, INRI Cristo and his disciples.

Telepathy and Love: The Spanish Apartment Opening Celebrations: Thursday 8 September, 7-9pm. Australia Council for the Arts Barcelona Studio. Calle Enrique Granados 108.2.2a, Barcelona 08008.

West Space exhibition dates: 25 November – 17 December 2011.
Opening: Thursday 24 November 2011, 6-8pm.

Image: Ms&Mr, Teenage Telepathic, 1993/2008. Courtesy the artists and Fehily Contemporary.

West Space invites artists / collectives / curators to submit proposals to exhibit between May and December 2012.

Proposals must be received before 6pm Friday 27 August 2011.

West Space has recently opened its new site at Level 1, 225 Bourke Street. This new space offers new opportunities for artists to present diverse projects. Please visit westspace.org.au/applications for further details and proposal guidelines.

Please note that West Space will only hold one proposal round for 2012 (not two rounds as in the past).