Exhibition Archive

The Dax Centre features two gallery spaces, both dedicated to reducing mental health stigma and educating the public about the lived experiences of mental health and trauma.

Main Gallery – Showcases works from The Dax Centre’s renowned collection, often presented alongside exhibitions by external artists to foster dialogue and broaden perspectives.

Studio Dax – A space committed to supporting emerging artists with lived experience of mental health. It hosts both solo and group exhibitions, providing a platform for new voices in the arts and mental health landscape.

A Subtle Omen

20 March - 5 June 2025

Frances Cannon (they/them) is a lesbian, multidisciplinary artist based in Melbourne/Narrm. They have solid practices in many mediums including illustration, oil painting, jewellery smithing, ceramics and sculpture. Frances' work examines the human form, religion, fairytales, queerness, and memory. Much of their work is political, as it often deals with marginalised identities and bodies, as well as current events. Frances has had many successful solo shows locally and internationally.

In this solo exhibition, Frances explores elements of their gender identity, especially focusing on their relationship with self-love, and how their lived experience with anxiety manifests in the body. Cannon reflects on their upbringing as a girl and how that has informed their non-binary queer identity. The title A Subtle Omen refers to moments in Cannon’s upbringing that were expressions of their queerness within the context of a Christian household and heteronormative society. Through this exhibition, we hope to highlight the importance of creative expression to mental wellbeing, especially for the queer community.

Exhibiting Artists: Frances Cannon

Band Together

12 December 2024 - 7 March 2025

Curated by Curatorial Intern Christina Darras, this exhibition was a celebration of those who support The Dax Centre, including our volunteers, interns, educators, advocates and staff.

The curator internship offers the experience of creating an exhibition from begining to end. Among other tasks the interns are contributing to creating a concept, writting the curatorial text, hanging the artworks, organising the opening and designing the exhibition catalogue. It is a full experience and an opportunity for the interns to delivering the exhibitions at Dax Centre.

Exhibiting Artists: Christina Darras, Heidi Ricketts, Tess Metcalf, Emma Armstrong Porter, Mariah Payne, Patrick Morgan, Kerrie Theodorikakos, Anna Cunningham, Elleshay Mendoza, Jess Tailby, Eva Abbinga, Annie Naismith

Anxiety Project

11 September - 27 November 2024

The Anxiety Project brings together five Melbourne-based professional artists with an interest in how art practice interacts with a lived experience of anxiety. Initially displayed at The Art Room in Footscray, The Dax Centre is honored to present the second iteration of the exhibition to further explore how anxiety manifests and operates within the creative process. Within this exhibition, Fraval, Gofton, Nelson, Stockdale and Tomasetti illuminate the complexities of anxiety, from its unrecognized presence to its management and ongoing impact on artistic practice. The artists invite viewers to traverse the emotional landscape they've crafted, prompting reflection on the role of art in both healing and as a source of anxiety itself.

The life of an artist is a constant uncertainty: from the blank canvas and creative blocks to unemployment and scrutiny. Art is not a choice; it is a calling. The connection with one’s practice is a personal, non-verbal dialogue with materiality. And, in essence, while anxiety creates hurdles to this path, it also serves as fertile ground. Despite the challenges of being an artist, art offers a profound healing power and can be a motivating force.

Anxiety is the most prevalent mental health condition in Australia, with one in six Australians experiencing anxiety in their lifetime. Many people have found engaging in creative activities can be valuable in managing anxiety and improving mental wellbeing. This exhibition aims to create a lasting impact on how anxiety is understood, managed, and transcended within the creative community.

Exhibiting Artists: Betra Fraval, Erika Gofton, Ilona Nelson, Jacqui Stockdale, Sarah Tomasetti

She Who Persists

May 2024 - April 2025

Historically textiles and craftwork were largely regarded as a form of domestic ‘women’s work’, which refers to the often undervalued, unpaid jobs and chores stereotypically associated with, or assigned to women. However, feminist discourse and the inclusion of textile art into the contemporary arts sphere has led to a new appreciation for textile works made by women

Statistics show almost half (45%) of Australian women have experienced a mental health challenge at some point in their lifetime. Both within and outside of cultural and artistic institutions there are compelling examples of how women have found solace, healing, self-expression and connection through craft and textile-based practices

Spanning over 70 years, She Who Persists  shares artworks and stories of women’s mental health experiences and the innovative, creative, and resourceful ways they have engaged with craft and textiles to manage and persevere through adversity and challenges

Including works rarely shown from the Cunningham Dax Collection, She Who Persists showcases the power of tactile activities to provide a means of stress reduction, self-expression and connection with others, which can help to support mental wellbeing amidst challenging times. Visitors are invited to immerse themselves in the intricate tapestry of women’s experiences with mental health

Exhibiting Artists: Sonia Agosta, Violet Billman, Jessie Brooks-Dowsett, Romy Dwosh, Carol Frieling, Emily Fitzsimons, Edith Agnes Harrington, Barbara Joyce, Chantal Larante, Robyne Latham, Eva Marks, Daniel McKenzie, Carol Maxwell, The Bridge Group and Esmé Sky Walker

Creative Sanctuary

8 November 2023 - 1 September 2024

In a world that can feel overwhelming at times there is a place that exists within us all that can offer respite, renewal, and hope. Creativity is a portal to the realm of the imagination, through it we can find solace, inspiration or be transported to faraway places.

By engaging in a creative act, in whatever form that may take, we can access an inner world which allows us to connect with ourselves deeply and honestly, explore our potential, discover new and different ways to express ourselves and bring our dreams and ideas to life.

Through creativity, as a viewer or maker, we can be transported to incredible places - places we have been, places we would like to go or places we can only imagine.

Creativity can be a sanctuary, every brushstroke, note, word or movement can be a meditation and a celebration of our own creative potential.

Featuring paintings, drawings and sculptures, Creative Sanctuary showcases eight artists from the Cunningham Dax Collection who have found solace and inspiration in their own creative sanctuaries. Their works invites us to step into their world and experience the power of creativity to transform, transport and heal.

Exhibiting Artists: Isabella Duncan, Jacqueline King, Carla Krijt, Emma Mcvoy, Rosa Niran, NEG, Renee Sutton and Elizabeth Turnbul

Land and Seascapes

6 September - 20 October 2023

Land and Seascapes brings together two artists, Leeann Preddy and Tony Dowling, from Arts Access Victoria’s SRS (Supported Residential Services) Studios.

Leeann is a Melbourne-based artist who has been practising for many years. She draws inspiration from Australian Landscape images using references such as photographic books and Australian art history books.  She also uses memory and personal experiences to develop her work. Leeann grew up in the bush on rainforest properties and learned a lot about plants and wildlife as a child. There are so many different species of gumtrees and they are all unique in their own beautiful way. Through these works she hopes to capture the way they are…every tree is different, like every human is different.

“I think it’s my therapy, it takes me out of my thoughts and into the zone of what I’m drawing.”

For Tony, art is also therapeutic, an exercise involving learning and expression. He paints landscapes from reference books and pictures in magazines and is exploring adding fine detail into his paintings. He spent his early manhood surfing the West Coast of Victoria and his great love of the ocean is reflected in his works exploring the beauty of land, sea and sky. “I am really learning to appreciate my own art.”

Land and Seascapes invites the viewer to travel through the trees, across the sea and allow their minds to meander through all the places in between.

Exhibiting Artists: Leeann Preddy, Tony Dowling

Blue on Blue on Blue

20 July - 25 August 2023

The Artist invites the viewer to meditate upon this sea of Blue.

Aleshanee’s creative process consists of designing a pattern then carving it into a triangular rubber block. She works across several artworks simultaneously, making aesthetic decisions as she prints. The technique of repetitive block printing results in unrepeatable unique works.

Through Aleshanee’s creative practice she seeks a state of flow to refocus awareness away from chronic pain. Surrounding herself with shades of blue helps to improve her wellbeing and reminds her of the sea and sky.

Exhibiting Artists: Aleshanee Faery

Graeme Doyle: medicated man

May 2023 - June 2024

“I think I’ve taken more out of schizophrenia than it’s taken from me” - Graeme Doyle

Graeme Doyle (1947- 2021) was a prolific artist, musician, poet and performer. Doyle, who lived with schizophrenia, is an intriguing figure in the landscape and history of Australian art. Collaborating with portrait artist Peter Wegner, Doyle appeared in numerous guises, revealing his vulnerability as a subject and the impact of his condition. Doyle’s own artwork was uncompromising and thought-provoking, challenging people's perceptions and confronting them with hard truths. He was an early advocate for the reduction of stigma and education of complex mental health issues, leaving a legacy that continues to inspire and inform.

Schizophrenia affects approximately 1% of the population and is one of the most misunderstood and stigmatised mental health issues in society. It can be debilitating and damaging to people's lives without support strategies. However, with the right supports and care, people with the condition can thrive in society, as demonstrated by the life and art of Graeme Doyle. The Cunningham Dax Collection, which features over 80 of Doyle's works, only scratches the surface of the breadth and depth of his practice. For Doyle, art making was an integral part of who he was, his health, and his connection to society and its creative history. The Dax Centre is proud to present his work and continue the joint purpose of education and stigma reduction.

Exhibiting artists: Graeme Doyle, Peter Wegner

WIP

6 April - 30 June 2023

Artists don't see themselves as finished after completing a project; they view their creative process as a continuous evolution which can include explorations, deviations, celebrations, challenges, and re-starts. It may include going back to the drawing board more than once, or perhaps throwing the board out altogether and drawing on the floor. Similarly, recovering from mental health issues is rarely a linear journey, and it's possible to experience relapses, forks in the road, obstacles, and setbacks. The creative experience of an artist parallels that of the experience of being human - we are all works in progress.

WIP, or ‘work in progress’, is a group exhibition of artists from The Studio Dax program at The Dax Centre. This program was established to create a supportive environment for individuals with a lived experience of mental health issues to engage in artmaking, learning and sharing. Having operated for just over a year, the program has succeeded in providing a nurturing space for artists to flourish. The program and the artists are still in the process of learning and growing, with their potential leading them forward. The aim of this exhibition is not to showcase fully resolved works, where potential has been fully realised, but rather to capture a moment in time of the artists and the program. As a result, the exhibition represents people, artists, and a program, all of whom are works in progress on a journey towards what they can become.

Exhibiting Artist: Alana Winter, Angelyka Nowak, Bronwyn Handfield, Callum Watson, Christele “Chrissy” Brunet, Dorotea Regner, J.B, Liam San Jose, Lianne Yearbury, Lynne Kells, Maggie Bell, Martin Weatherhead, Michela Cardamone, Poppy Egan, Romy Durrant, Samantha Martin and Steven Groves

Adopted

October 2022 - April 2023

The Dax Centre is committed to increasing awareness and understanding of mental health issues and psychological trauma through art. Supported by the City of Melbourne, The Dax Centre proudly presented Adopted, an exhibition traversing the lived experience of adoption by artists Weniki Hensch, Ebony Hickey, Peter Waples-Crowe, and Lisa Waup.

These creative projects, based on autoethnography, delve into the makers' personal journey of meaning-making from the complexity of their lived experience. The discourse of adoption has historically been framed from the adopter’s perspective. This exhibition gives voice to the adoptee and their evolution. The result is a series of unique narratives that confront issues of social and emotional well-being, marginalisation, identity, belonging, and crossing cultural boundaries.

Exhibiting artists: Peter Waples-Crowe, Lisa Waup, Tama Sharman, Ebony Hickey and Weniki Hensch

Queer my head

28 January - 11 March 2022

Queer My Head celebrates the power of queer artmaking to clear our heads of the pervasive cis-heteronormative expectations and biases that contribute to mental health issues for LGBTIQA+ folk. QUEER is deployed in this exhibition, not merely as a convenient umbrella term for diverse LGBTIQA+ identities, but as a distinct form of political, cultural and artistic practice

The Queer My Head exhibition recognises creative ‘head queering’ as an essential cultural practice of resistance, affirmation and repair, that creates space for the wild and complex spectrum of queer diversity to flourish. This exhibition features LGBTIQA+ artists with lived experience of mental health challenges, who have utilised their creativity to resist, repair, critique, subvert, survive and queerly thrive in non-normative ways.

These artists represent their lived experience on their own terms; creatively queering the spaces between medical categorisations, social expectations and intersectional identities. Their artworks offer a vibrant, tender, defiant and uplifting selection of queer stories of survival, expressed via print-making, painting, mixed media, social media, dance, video, installation, collage, street art and embroidery.

Exhibiting artists: Ellen Cisnero, Christin Tynan, Jenna Lee, Benjamin J. Baker, Alex Creece, Yianni Giovanoglou, Cal Harper, Emma Armstrong-Porter, Steph Amir, Larissa MacFarlane, Billlie Parsons, Gemma Horbury, Leisa Prowd and Tsuki, Eman Ezekiel and Tash Atkins, Jeska Stephens, Fox Williams, Ebony Hickney, Cynthia Spleen, Fox Kennedy

Creature Comfort

February 2021 - September 2022

Humans have an important and timeless relationship with animals. Whether it is an appreciation for the majesty of wild creatures or the unconditional love of a furry companion, animals can be a wonderful source of support for our mental wellbeing.

Artists across the millennia have shown their appreciation for animals - ancient Egyptians honoured cats through painting, mosaics, sculpture and more, while the famous Lascaux Cave art in southern France gives an insight into how essential animals were to Palaeolithic culture. Devotion to our four-legged friends is abundant in modern art, with Picasso, Andy Warhol, and David Hockney all dedicating many hours to portraying their beloved ‘sausage’ dogs.

The Cunningham Dax Collection’s rich source of animal imagery show that many artists with lived experience of mental health issues also found animals to be deserving of their artistic attention. Creature Comfort is our way of saying thank-you to our non-human supporters for their love, companionship, beauty and inspiration.

Exhibiting artists: Rehana Dowler, Bruce Doyle, Graeme Doyle, Leslie Holding, Barbara Joyce, Renee Sutton

child and mother

September 2020 - January 2021

Patricia Stewart and Del Kathryn Barton met by chance and found an instant and immediate connection.

In child and mother the two share a space as creatives, as women with lived experience of mental health issues, as mothers and daughters.

From Patricia’s extensive personal collection and works from the Cunningham Dax Collection, Barton has curated an exhibition celebrating Patricia’s unique aesthetic grown from her mental health journey. Including new works by Del Kathryn Barton made in response to Patricia Stewart’s extraordinary oeuvre spanning over 25 years, child and mother is a rich visual exploration of relationships and connection.

Exhibiting artists: Del Kathryn Barton, Andrea Badgery, Anita Bentata, Margaret Chapman, "Cornelius", Graeme Doyle, Isabella Duncan, Leslie Holding, Anna Handlesmann-Braun, Carla Krijt, Simone Kanat,"Leah and her inner family", Hetty Lubliner-Frankenhuis, NEG, Joan Rodriquez, Sarah Saaroni, Nina Stone, Renee Sutton, Patricia Stewart, Elizabeth Turnbull, Sara Vidal, Konrad Winkler, Sophia Xeros-Constantinides

From the Fire

27 May - 30 October 2015

From The Fire is an exhibition that demonstrates and communicates the far-reaching legacies of the Black Saturday Bushfires of 2009. The exhibition captures many aspects of the terrible events as well as the healing that occurred in the aftermath.

The Board of the Dax Centre commends the generosity of the artists in sharing their works for the exhibition. The Board also acknowledges the work of The Dax Centre staff in bringing From The Fire to fruition.

The Dax Centre promotes mental health and wellbeing by generating deeper understanding through art. Art created in response to mental illness or psychological trauma offers opportunities for conversation, contemplation and discussion. Discussing the art can generate language in the lexicon of the viewers to assist in bringing very necessary understanding about mental illness further into public arenas. Contemplation of the features, details and content of the art leads to conversation about and increased understanding of the artists’ communication.

This approach of utilising art is the raison d’être of The Dax Centre. The use of the huge body of art within the Cunningham Dax Collection as a unique resource to enable discussion of mental illness and psychological trauma is a non-threating sphere in which these understandings can be nurtured, developed and extended.

Exhibiting artists: Ursula Theinert, Werner Theinert, Barbara Joyce, Kate Zizys, Julie Goodwin, Bernadette Healy, Louise Foletta, Cornelia Selover, children from Yarra Glen Primary School

Raw Emotion

23 October 2014 - 20 February 2015

Raw Emotion presents a selection of newly acquired artworks, donated by contemporary artists since 2013, alongside some of the oldest artworks in the Collection, which were created in Victoria’s psychiatric hospitals in the 1950s and 1960s. This exhibition reflects the historic foundation of the Cunningham Dax Collection, which is housed at The Dax Centre, as well as the Centre’s continued engagement with contemporary artists and community groups.

The creation of these artworks has involved a process of inward examination for the artists, which they have bravely shared. In turn, these artworks have the capacity to increase self-awareness and also empathy in the viewer. It is hoped that by an in-depth, truthful and open engagement with the artworks, the negative stereotypes associated with mental illness may be broken down. The exchange of expression and understanding is therefore important on a social and interpersonal level.

These artworks offer a unique invitation to enter the intensely subjective inner world of the artists, to better understand the emotional impact of mental illness, and to dwell on our shared human experience of consciousness, perception and sensation.

Above all, this is an exhibition about the power of art to provide an insight into the lived experience of others, and the enduring importance of creativity in maintaining mental health and wellbeing.

Exhibiting artists: Renee Sutton, Kalena Kucers, Graeme Doyle, Ruth Rich, Alison Colvin (deGroot), David Apostol, Emma McEvoy, John Puli, Elizabeth Turnbull, R.D

Healing ways: art with intent

15 May - 27 October 2014

While the cultural, aesthetic and economic benefits of the Australian Aboriginal art industry have been well documented, this exhibition seeks to explore contemporary Indigenous arts practice as a site of healing and a resource for emotional wellbeing. Artworks will be revealed as a source of resilience and cultural strength, as well as a medium to address the intergenerational effects of trauma experienced by Aboriginal people throughout a history of colonisation and dispossession.

The exhibition is presented as part of a larger project investigating the emotional aspects of Aboriginal art and its potential for healing among Aboriginal communities. The exhibition, along with a symposium and web-based resource, have been developed through extensive consultation with community leaders and experts in the field.

Exhibiting artists: Maree Clarke, Robyne Latham, Sally M Mulda, Yhonnie Scarce, Dennis Thorpe, Peter Waples-Crowe

Imaginarium: works by Adam Knapper

9 January - 9 May 2014

Adam Knapper is a contemporary artist whose work defies all categorisation. Working across different media and art forms, he has crafted a distinctive yet evolving style. He takes his visual cues from Street and Pop Art to Design and Surrealism, creating whimsical motifs, humour and fun. Song lyrics and movie quotes also influence his work, inspiring life affirming philosophies and magical universes. In Imaginarium, Adam wants you to be guided by your imagination and to discover you own meanings about what you see and what you feel. Look closely as the mysteries ravel and unravel, with hidden messages for you to find or create.

Significant challenges around mental health are what first led Adam to The Dax Centre, but, like his art, defining this aspect of his experience is not a focus for him. What has been a constant focus is his desire to make art. This was also inspired by the encouragement of Dr Eric Cunningham Dax, who he met on a number of occasions.

Defining art genres such as Outsider Art, Art Brut, Folk Art and Marginalised Art has stimulated fascinating debate over time. They are typically associated with self-taught creators, artists who are isolated from external influences, or those with challenges around mental health. In the field of mental health, definitions are used all the time to name and specify various circumstances. This exhibition is an opportunity to put those definitions aside and be open to the creative possibilities of Imaginarium.

Adam Knapper is an artist and a person who refuses to be defined by any category or label. He lives and creates freely and is an example of unique talent and innovation. His technical ability is at the cornerstone of his practice, and as a perfectionist, he is always striving for better. The result is a compelling body of work spanning 25 years, being shown together for the first time.

Exhibiting artists: Adam Knapper

The Emotional World of Children

26 September - 21 December 2013

Children’s artworks have long been admired for their naivety, simplicity and innocent honesty. This exhibition points towards the rich and extensive inner world of children, which is the wellspring of their art. This exhibition explores how children’s artworks can be interpreted within a psychoanalytic framework, and how the making of art is an important part of a child’s development.

In 2010, nearly 2000 artworks were gifted to The Dax Centre by the family of the late Margaret Ericksen. Margaret Ericksen was a Child and Adolescent Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist. The works displayed in this exhibition were created by children in Ericksen’s psychotherapy sessions at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne between 1947 and 1986.

Ericksen’s psychoanalytic practice was based on the concepts of the inner world and the nature of the unconscious. These artworks would have been viewed as essential means through which to communicate and better understand the thoughts, feelings and experiences of the children who created them. Following in the footsteps of the eminent Child Psychoanalyst Melanie Klein, Ericksen believed that children’s play, including art-making, could provide a way to access their inner, emotional worlds.

The Emotional World of Children highlights the importance of play and creativity in the life of a child, as well as the roles of family, fairy tales and fantasies. The conscious and unconscious experiences that affect the emotional and psychological development of the child are vividly depicted in this selection of artworks. Psychoanalysis places a great importance on childhood experiences being the foundation of mental health throughout adulthood. In accordance with this view, it is important to acknowledge and consider the emotional world of children in order to support their life-long mental wellbeing.

Exhibiting artists: