Counihan Gallery

Counihan Gallery Political and contemporary exhibitions at 233 Sydney Road, Brunswick. Entry is free.

The Counihan Gallery was established in 1999 in honour of the Australian artist Noel Counihan (1913-1986). The Gallery aims to program exhibitions engaging with contemporary cultural and social issues.

'Clippy’s Revenge!' by Guy Louden is a darkly playful encounter with Clippy, Microsoft’s much-maligned 1990s digital ass...
06/09/2026

'Clippy’s Revenge!' by Guy Louden is a darkly playful encounter with Clippy, Microsoft’s much-maligned 1990s digital assistant. In this work, Clippy guides our eyes through a strange portal of bodily fragments, reflecting on the ways digital technology deconstructs and reimagines the organic world.

In contrast to the speed and slickness of digital production, the work is deliberately low-tech and handmade, combining graphite pencil drawings with hand-cut steel. Through these labour-intensive processes, the artist asks what value our labour holds in a world where images can be generated, replicated and discarded at will.

Keep an eye out for a hidden 3D version of Clippy, alongside the pictorial one, when you visit Within the infinite flow, curated by Sebastian Kainey.

On until 25 October.

Photo: Simon Fazio

We’re thrilled to announce that ‘Where is a Place for Us to Sleep in Peace?’ by Ma Ei has now been acquired into Merri-b...
04/09/2026

We’re thrilled to announce that ‘Where is a Place for Us to Sleep in Peace?’ by Ma Ei has now been acquired into Merri-bek’s permanent art collection.

‘Where is a Place for Us to Sleep in Peace?’ was shown in Ma Ei’s solo exhibition at the Counihan Gallery earlier this year.

It’s part of an ongoing series responding to the 2021 Myanmar military coup, reflecting on the impossibility of safety and rest during times of political conflict.

Created shortly after arriving to Australia, at Williamstown Beach, it extends ideas of peace, vulnerability and care beyond humanitarian concerns to include the natural world.

Ma Ei's work speaks not only to personal experience and the situation in Myanmar, but to broader experiences of political conflict and displacement shared across many communities in Australia.


Photo: .io

You can explore the collection online via the link in bio or at https://victoriancollections.net.au/organisations/merri-bek-city-council

Amalia Lindo’s prints trace the human intelligence embedded within machine learning systems. Created from more than 9,00...
02/09/2026

Amalia Lindo’s prints trace the human intelligence embedded within machine learning systems. Created from more than 9,000 descriptive keywords submitted by online workers around the world, the three monotypes, February, May and August, visualise how human ghost-work underpins contemporary AI.

Processed through topic modelling, generative AI, and CNC drawing, the prints make visible a complex chain of collaboration between online workers, algorithms and the artist. Reminiscent of automatic drawing and touchscreen gestures, they challenge the notion of artificial intelligence as an autonomous system, instead revealing it as a collective assemblage of human knowledge, labour and computation.

From within the infinite flow is on display at the gallery until 25 October.

.gallery
Photos: .io

Amalia Lindo is represented by Haydens, Naarm/Melbourne.

Applications are now open for the 2026 Merri-bek Summer Show!Do you live, work, study, or have an arts practice in Merri...
28/08/2026

Applications are now open for the 2026 Merri-bek Summer Show!

Do you live, work, study, or have an arts practice in Merri-bek? Apply now to exhibit your work at the Counihan Gallery as part of the Merri-bek Summer Show.

This year's exhibition theme is 'Present Tense: 10 Years On', marking the tenth anniversary of the Noel Counihan Commemorative Art Award, which recognises artists whose work engages with social justice.

Local artists are invited to consider how the past decade has shaped the world we live in today. What has changed? What challenges remain? What demands our attention now? What futures are being imagined?

The theme is open to interpretation and can be explored through personal and local stories, political ideas, social issues, environmental concerns, everyday experiences and more.

To apply, complete the application form via our website.
https://www.merri-bek.vic.gov.au/exploring-merri-bek/arts-merri-bek/counihan-gallery/exhibit-at-the-counihan-gallery/

Announcing new acquistions to the Merri-bek Art Collection! We have lots of new works to share with you in the weeks ahe...
26/08/2026

Announcing new acquistions to the Merri-bek Art Collection! We have lots of new works to share with you in the weeks ahead!

We’re excited to announce that ‘John Englart’ by local artist Maggie Cowling has been acquired into Merri-bek’s permanent art collection.

This work honours local climate activist John Englart (1955–2025), a familiar and cheerful presence on Merri-bek's bike paths, often seen riding with his beloved chihuahuas in his basket.

Maggie began the portrait before John’s sudden passing in 2025 and finished it shortly afterwards. The work was exhibited in the 2025 Merri-bek Summer Show: Love in Crisis and received the Climate Activism Award, recognising an artist whose work engages with climate justice.

You can explore more of the Collection via the link in bio or at: https://victoriancollections.net.au/organisations/merri-bek-city-council

Photos:

Message Depth – An Ongoing Archive is a collaborative work by artists Katie Paine and Oliver Hull. It explores the hidde...
23/08/2026

Message Depth – An Ongoing Archive is a collaborative work by artists Katie Paine and Oliver Hull.

It explores the hidden systems that underpin contemporary life, tracing how the global flow of information and goods depends on vast, unseen infrastructures that are both technological and environmental. Submarine fibre optic cables thread across the seabed, carrying the world’s data beneath the ocean’s surface, while inland data centres continue this circulation by processing and storing those signals. These facilities rely on immense quantities of water for cooling, water that is drawn from and returned to surrounding natural systems. Alongside these digital networks, the colossal maritime routes of the industrial shipping industry operate as a physical analogue to data transmission: containers for goods mirror packets of data, both traversing oceans along highly regulated, commercialised pathways.

On display until 25 October.


Photos: .io

Artwork in focus.Axel Garay's Ama Algorithmus (Mother Algorithm) combines analogue and digital media to explore spiritua...
18/08/2026

Artwork in focus.

Axel Garay's Ama Algorithmus (Mother Algorithm) combines analogue and digital media to explore spirituality in the digital age.

Through photography, video and sound, the installation reflects on the sense of wonder, reverence and belief that often surrounds emerging technologies and artificial intelligence.

Portraits of the artist, adorned with feathers, electrical cables, and fairy lights, are presented alongside projected imagery and an original soundscape by cellist Thomas Veitch.

Bringing toegether historical and contemporary image-making processes, the work considers how technology can take on an almost mystical status, obscuring the commercial and social structures that underpin them.

Expanding on a project first presented at the 2025 Yirramboi Festival, Axel has re-imagined Ama Algorithmus for the Counihan Gallery.

The exhibiton continues in the Rear Gallery until 25 October.

https://www.axgaray.com/
Photos: Simon Fazio .io

It's the last week to see Lily Houbert’s video work, Dressed In Excess, at Brunswick Town Hall, as part of our Winter Ni...
16/08/2026

It's the last week to see Lily Houbert’s video work, Dressed In Excess, at Brunswick Town Hall, as part of our Winter Night Screen program.

Lily is a Melbourne/Naarm-based emerging artist who recently graduated from RMIT University with a Bachelor of Design specialising in Digital Media. Working primarily with animation, her practice explores contemporary issues through accessible and visually engaging storytelling.

Beneath the sweet, vintage-inspired aesthetic of Dressed In Excess lie serious reflections on fast fashion, consumerism, and their growing environmental impact.

On display until Thursday 20 August.



Image: Lily Houbert. Dressed in Excess. 2025 (Video Still)

Meet the curator!Sebastian Kainey is an arts worker, emerging curator, and photographer. His curatorial interests revolv...
12/08/2026

Meet the curator!

Sebastian Kainey is an arts worker, emerging curator, and photographer. His curatorial interests revolve around labour politics, perception, memory, and expanded image-making practices. Sebastian recently co-curated the exhibition ‘Labour Lexica’ at Linden Projects Space, which explored ideas of labour, language, and futility within the contemporary capitalist condition. As a photographer, Sebastian specialises in art and exhibition documentation.

Sebastian holds a Master of Art Curatorship from The University of Melbourne and a Bachelor of Arts (Photography) from RMIT University. A passionate supporter of contemporary art and emerging and early-career artists, he currently serves as a board member at Kings Artist Run.

With works by Amalia Lindo, Clara Chanisheff, Guy Louden, Katie Paine, and Oliver Hull, 'From within the infinite flow', curated by Sebastian, continues at the Gallery until 25 October.






gallery

Photo: Simon Fazio .io

Amalia Lindo is represented by Haydens, Naarm/Melbourne.

Address

Counihan Gallery (inside Brunswick Town Hall), 233 Sydney Road
Melbourne, VIC
3056

Opening Hours

Wednesday 11am - 5pm
Thursday 11am - 5pm
Friday 11am - 5pm
Saturday 11am - 5pm
Sunday 1pm - 5pm

Telephone

+61393898622

Website

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