Developing Artist-in-Residence (past resident)
The Developing Artist-in-Residence (DAIR) program has previously offered opportunities for young and emerging Brisbane artists to develop their professional skills and experiences in the arts. Based at Visible Ink Youth Hub in Fortitude Valley, the residency gives an artist a chance to access a series of free workshops designed to improve their practice.
Past artist-in-residence
Amy McDonald
Amy McDonald is a Brisbane-based artist and photographer studying a Bachelor of Photography at the Queensland College of Art. As an emerging photographer Amy has a strong documentary style with a current focus on capturing natural landscapes. Amy discovered her passion for painting in her early teens; being curious about how colours related to one another and overall joy from painting. This evolved over the years and painting soon became a therapeutic process to relieve stress and anxieties from the daily life.
Amy’s paintings now range from highlighting the beauty found in the domestic setting to celebrating the sophistication of simple colour and shape. Through this process she commemorates simplicity to oppose anxiety and promote a balanced lifestyle.
During her residency, Amy hopes to upscale her work into a public mural style and present a solo exhibition to the public. Amy is inspired by artists such as Dinah Wakefield and Meagan Streader, and magazines like Frankie and Peppermint.
Zed Hopkins (past resident)
Zed Hopkins is a multi-disciplinary artist and producer with a wide range of experience across performance, video, and installation mediums. Originally from Brisbane, Zed spent four years working and studying around the world before returning home in 2020. His work explores the space between art forms and interrogates themes surrounding youth, identity, and community. As both an independent artist and co-founder of the emerging art collective ‘The Crash Site’ Zed is on a mission to connect, create and collaborate through innovative interdisciplinary projects.
He is incredibly excited to be a part of the DAIR program at Visible Ink Youth Hub after first working in the space in 2013. Zed is eager to explore the possibilities of performance, installation, and community collaboration within and beyond the Visible Ink precinct.
Skyler Castillo (past resident)
Skyler Castillo is a resident and has been visiting the Youth Hub since 2016. Skyler’s ability to access the extensive range of resources and meet like-minded people has proven to be invaluable to her skill development.
Skyler has been creating her unique illustrations, photography, murals and practicing 3D printing on site. Skyler’s work and colour palette have been influenced by alternative music and early 2000’s band merch. She also loves to incorporate monsters into her work.
“I find myself gravitating towards online tutorials and those artists who conduct them. I love Bob Ross and BROM as painting influencers. Photographers like Ryan McGinley and Peter McKinnon help give direction to my photographic style,” Skyler said.
Skyler loves to work in the shared space with other creatives. She joined the developing artist-in- residence program in 2018 During her residency, Skyler has been able to run 3D printing workshops and facilitated a workshop with other Visible Ink users to help her develop the concept for her mural.
“We changed the design a few times but this one was the group favourite. We wanted it to reflect nature and bring the outdoors inside with bright colours and a splash of fantasy or imagination because Visible Ink and its users are everything creative! It will be a great backdrop for photos,” Skyler said.
The road represents the personal journey and a sense of adventure for the emerging creative community in Brisbane. The young woman at the front has a backpack with a paint palette and brushes showing that they are an artist and have paved their way with creative thinking. She also wears glasses, a jumper, some pins, a pink-coloured hair. Her smile shows that she is confident in herself and where she’s headed.
Time-lapse Video of Skyler’s mural installation
Shelley Cheng (past resident)
Shelley Cheng is a migrant-settler living and working on unceded Yuggera and Turrbal land. They are a multi-disciplinary emerging artist and writer. Shelley has exhibited across Meanjin (Brisbane) in solo and group shows including Ctrl+Alt+Del (2018), Where are you from? (2019), Radical Love (2020), La Boîte’s HWY Festival (2020) and more. In 2019 Shelley worked with peopleartistplace and Metro Arts to create a public activation through Brisbane City Council’s Temporary Art Program. Their written work appears in Overland Literary Journal, Wear Your Voice Magazine, Mamamia and other platforms.