West Space Commissions

West Space is proud to announce the two recipients of our 2026 Commissions, Daisy and Wassila Abboud.

The West Space Commission is an investment in artists with support across the development and presentation of new work in our main gallery.

Daisy, 'Kangaroo Reserve', 2024, installation view.

Based in Naarm/Melbourne, Daisy embraces the humour and humility of survival and belonging in a schismatic deep-fake post-truth context. Their practice fuses noise, data, installation and performance in response to the systemic effects and psychopolitics of global conditioning.

Daisy's unapologetic critique forms part of an ongoing search for futures that haven’t already been redacted, or destroyed.

“Daisy's practice is evocative and well realised, and they are more than ready for an opportunity such as this.

Daisy's current investigations are timely, given the ongoing crisis of Aboriginal deaths in custody and the high incarceration rates of Aboriginal people. We look forward to introducing their work to our community.” — Jahkarli Romanis, West Space Board

Wassila Abboud, headshot courtesy the artist.

Wassila Abboud is a researcher and writer based between Amsterdam, Beirut, and Sydney. With a background in journalism, her work engages with Critical Theory, Philosophy, and Visual Culture. Her recent investigative research examines the material and metaphysical conditions of past and present historical struggles, and what emerges within these moments of transformation.

Through intergenerational archives, essays, film, and diagrams, Wassila explores the limits of imagination in moments of rupture. She recently completed a year-long philosophy fellowship with Foreign Objekt.

“Wassila Abboud’s work contains both the urgency of our current political climate and the weight of generations of occupation, resistance and revolutionary struggle.
Her project seeks to revive a series of 20th Century revolutionary texts with both public and personal resonances, linking Arab/Levantine diaspora across continents and generations. We look forward to supporting Wassila to bring this compelling project to West Space." — Sarah Poulgrain, West Space Artist Committee
Daisy, installation view, Melbourne University's Victorian College of the Arts, 2025

Daisy and Wassilla Abboud were selected from a competitive application process open to artists across the nation.

The selection committee comprised our Artist Committee, Aida Azin, Tristen Harwood, Kaspar Schmidt Mumm, Joshua Pether, and Sarah Poulgrain; the artists on our Board, Alicia Frankovich, Eugenia Lim, James Nguyen and Jahkarli Romanis; and our curatorial team, Director Joanna Kitto and Curator Sebastian Henry-Jones.

Upcoming and Recent West Space Commissions:

“Across two years, West Space supported the development of an innovative new work combining sound, projection and bio-sculptures. For artists based between Sydney and Paris, developing new work for local audiences became a highly engaged endeavour fostered by the spirit of ambitious creative collaboration that West Space embodies.
In a rapidly expanding global arts industry, West Space’s commitment to the diverse practices of artists in Australia is invaluable." — Victoria Pham
Joel Spring & Victoria Pham, ‘TERRA: Memory & Soil’, 2022, installation view: West Space, Collingwood Yards, 2022. Photography by Janelle Low.

What we offer:

  • 12-18 month development period, culminating an 8 week exhibition in our main gallery space;
  • Artist fee of $5,000 (plus Superannuation) and support to gain additional funding;
  • Accompanying essay and discursive program to contextualise, communicate and expand on the work;
  • Connections with local, national and international peers, arts professionals and audiences, growing artists' networks and momentum for future opportunities.

2027 West Space Commissions

Applications for an outcome in 2027 will open August 2025, closing four weeks later. Keep an eye out for the dates, we'll announce on this page, and across our newsletter and social media.

Selection criteria:

  • Clear and compelling conceptual rationale;
  • Consideration of West Space Values;
  • Suitability for gallery size (90sqm) and scale;
  • Ambition and readiness to partake in the opportunity;
  • Ability to realise the project, as demonstrated by an appropriate level of experience and support material.

We look for:

  • Accessible language and clear communication.
  • Expressions of interest that are conceptually rigorous, socially and politically engaged, self-reflexive about the role of art in society, and introduce new ideas or ways of thinking.
  • Seeking to redress historical imbalances, we prioritise applications from First Nations artists, culturally and linguistically diverse artists, gender diverse artists, d/Deaf artists and artists with lived experience of disability.
  • While accept applications from across Australia (and beyond), be mindful that we do not have the budget to support freight and travel. We will seek additional funding to bring you and your work to Naarm/Melbourne, however this cannot be guaranteed at the time of selection.

Applications comprise an expression of interest and examples of previous work. We accept applications in written form, as audio or video. A link will be published here when submissions open.

For more, watch a previous Information Session:

https://youtu.be/9EjRUcJyknc?si=HQK7QvMJqb2J4x4u