Artists: Stephen Brameld - Jay Staples

Art Leven presents New Works By, a solo exhibition by Walyalup (Fremantle) artist duo Stephen Brameld and Jay Staples, recipients of the 2024 Art Leven award as part of the Paddington Art Prize.

This show is a departure from the usual gallery program and is only the second presentation of non-indigenous artists since the relaunch as Art Leven in 2023. The evolution from Cooee Art to Art Leven in 2023 marked a new chapter of collaboration, transparency, and expanded artistic dialogue. As part of this vision, New Works By is presented within our Project program—a platform designed to foster open and meaningful exchanges between artists of diverse backgrounds, united by a shared engagement with materiality, process, and place. Rather than centering on an artists background, the Project program explores artistic approach—how the world we inhabit is expressed through each artist’s unique brushstrokes and process.

By presenting New Works By, Art Leven invites a broader conversation about creative collaboration and the layered ways artists engage with their work. While our primary focus remains on First Nations art, this exhibition reflects our commitment to facilitating new perspectives and deepening the dialogue between artistic practices.

Stephen Brameld and Jay Staples have mastered the practice of collaborative painting. Though extensively exhibited on the West Coast, this will be the artists’ first solo presentation in Gadigal (Sydney). The unique and almost frantic way these artists collaborate, painting simultaneously to create one cohesive and beautifully balanced artwork, is quite remarkable.