Weight
Alun Rhys Jones
Alun Rhys Jones
Studio Dax Gallery
25 February - 22 May 2026
In his latest exhibition, Weight, Alun Rhys Jones explores the relationship between masculinity, body dysmorphia, and psychological trauma. The exhibition exposes the vulnerability beneath the male body and its 'heroic' ideal, highlighting the mental health pressures men face. In the context of The Dax Centre, Alun seeks to open dialogue on men’s silent mental health crisis, particularly within the LGBTQIA+ community, revealing how queer men struggle with conflicting ideals of masculinity and belonging, leading to alienation and heightened psychological strain.
Image: Alun Rhys JONES, Self-portrait as Hottest Hollywood Heartthrob, digital print on Fuji (metallic) paper, edition of 10, 80 x 56 cm. Image courtesy of the artist.
Re/Connect
Main Gallery
Closing Friday 1 May 2026
The Dax Centre, in partnership with RMIT University, is proud to present Re/Connect. This major group exhibition features twelve recent RMIT School of Art graduates in creative response to the Cunningham Dax Collection.
As a part of The Dax Centre’s annual collection programming, Re/Connect invites emerging artists to explore personal and artistic connections with Collection artworks.
In asking the artists to examine ways in which they identify with collection artworks and artist stories, be it in a material or aesthetic sense, or in parallels in lived experience, the exhibition showcases a wide cross section of the Cunningham Dax Collection.
Through a diverse range of mediums, each artist brings their unique voice to the dialogue and creates a dynamic conversation that bridges the generational and thematic gaps of the collection.
By pairing emerging contemporary voices with the enduring legacy of the Cunningham Dax Collection, Re/Connect highlights the power of art in fostering understanding and connection within the broader conversation on mental health.
Exhibiting Artists: Molly Jane Baker, Karen Yvette Clarke, Sophia Xeros-Constantinides, James Dickson, Rehana Dowler, Graeme Doyle, Kate Driscoll, Kirra Jeram, Celline Mercado, Holly Clark-Milligan, Rosa Niran, Patricia Stewart, Bo-dene Stieler, Renee Sutton, Sarah Vandepeer, Aiko Van Hay Yuen, Alia Qasam Zada, Kate Zizys, Ann Zomer, Angelica Zumpo.
Coming soon...
Recovering Art
Exhibition opening
Friday 15 May 6-8pm
Friday 15 May 6-8pm
Image: John Young Zerunge, Time's Slow Passing #6 from the series Time's Slow Passing, 2023, etching and lithography on rag paper, 44 x 38 cm. Image courtesy of the artist.
Main Gallery
20 May - 18 December 2026
20 May - 18 December 2026
The Cunningham Dax Collection holds one of the world's most significant collections of art made in the context of mental illness and psychological trauma, with its earliest works created within the nascent art programs in psychiatric institutions.
Recovering Art takes the earliest moments of the collection's formation as its starting point and looks at the different ways we have understood the relationship between art and mental health, from the era of institutionalisation to now.
The exhibition brings together over 40 works including early archival material and collection works from the Cunningham Dax Collection, set beside new and recent works by leading contemporary artists from Australia and Aotearoa/New Zealand to consider the myriad of ways art can play a role in one's life as we navigate the reality of mental illness and disability.
Guest curated by Andy Butler.
Artists: Abdul Abdullah, Ruth Buchanan, Graeme Doyle, Carla Krijt, Jenna Lee, NEG, Renee Sutton, Luke Willis Thompson, John Young Zerunge