Penrith Regional Gallery

Join Felix Jackson for their ‘Blanket Fort Building’* interactive performance in the garden around Lewers House today, between 10am - 2pm, as part of our Open Day program. Audiences are invited to participate in creating a new artwork, alongside Felix, that grows over the course of the day.

Felix’s exhibition is part of our Summer Suite of exhibitions, which exhibit until 16 February 2025. You can visit ‘transcript’ daily from 10am-4pm.

Felix Jackson’s first solo exhibition, ‘transcript’, is currently exhibiting in our Loungeroom Community Gallery, and comprises a selection of works created over the last two years. For Felix, these works - individually and as a whole - suggest a transcription of their personal and artistic growth and offer an archive of this period of time.

*Please note: This activity is suitable for individuals aged 18 years and older.

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Open Day Schedule - Saturday 18 January 2025

10am – 2pm | Artist Activities

Heritage Garden: Make the Panther You Want to See (Jason Phu and Maja Baska) + Photo Booth

Succulent Garden: Talisman making and performance with Marian Abboud and Vicki Van Hout

Lewers House Garden: Blanket Fort Building with Felix Jackson* (This activity is suitable for individuals 18 years and older)

11am – 12pm | Artist Talk
Main Gallery - Lyndal Irons and Osselan ‘Ozzy’ Tupai Scanlan

12.30pm – 12.45pm | Spotlight Garden Tour
Meet at reception - A curatorial tour in the garden, observing key artworks.

1pm – 2pm| In Conversation
Main Gallery - James Colley, comic writer, with Toby Chapman, Director, Penrith Regional Gallery

@juno.felix

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Image 1-2: Silversalt Photography
Image 3: Eddy Summers

Rain, hail or shine our Open Day will be on tomorrow, Saturday 18 January, between 10am - 2pm!

Join artists Marian Abboud and Vicki Van Hout from 10.30am - 11.30am in the heritage garden for a new performance as part of their current exhibition, ‘Magic Malfunction’.

Audiences are invited to participate in the performance, and consider the magic – ancient and modern – that permeates our daily lives and rituals.

The Sydney-based artists and longtime collaborators explore the intersection of their respective Lebanese and Indigenous heritages, which they term their ‘intercultural sisterhood’. Presented across the four rooms and corridor of Lewers House Gallery, ‘Magic Malfunction’ presents their combined practices over fifteen years of collaboration, working to transcend perceived boundaries of place, language, and identity.

Also in our Summer Suite of exhibitions until 16 February 2025:
Main Gallery: ‘Spot the Difference’
Loungeroom Community Gallery: Felix Jackson: transcript
Ancher House Library: ‘ReDivining’

@marian_abboud
@vickivanhout

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Images: Marian Abboud and Vicki Van Hout: ‘Deviations in Transit’ in ‘Magic Malfunction’ Penrith Regional Gallery. Photography: Silversalt Photography

ARTIST TALK - OSSELAN ‘OZZY’ TUPAI SCANLAN & LYNDAL IRONS

Join us for an Artist Talk with ‘Spot the Difference’ artists Osselan ‘Ozzy’ Tupai Scanlan and Lyndal Irons this Saturday 18 January from 11am-12pm.

Lyndal Irons is a Sydney-based photographer and writer focused on local reportage interested in seeking out parts of Australian society that are familiar, accessible, yet not often closely encountered. By recording social histories and building legacies using photographs and words, her work encourages curiosity and a deeper connection to daily environment. Lyndal’s portrait ‘Heber Park, Hebersham, 2020’, which is included in our exhibition ‘Spot the Difference’, was the result of Osselan ‘Ozzy’ Tupai Scanlan running a call-out for Panthers fans to represent their community, their area, and of course their football team.

Ozzy, who runs the community engagement arm of the From The Area (FTA) Network, is a dynamic entrepreneur from Western Sydney with a rich Samoan heritage. He’s the proud owner of TRXX, an up-and-coming clothing & apparel business where he creates streetwear while bringing identity to Western Sydney Youth. His work in ‘Spot the Difference’ titled ‘The Area Picasso’ reflects the power of community, serving as a bridge between sport, culture, and storytelling, a means of celebrating the pride, history, and accomplishments that draw communities together.

To join the artist talk, meet us in the Main Gallery at 11am. Entry is free, and no bookings are required.

@lyndalirons
@ozzytrxx
@penrithcitycouncil
@visitpenrith
@bluemountainsvisitorcentres
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Image 1: Osselan ‘Ozzy’ Tupai Scanlan, ‘The Area Picasso’, (2024) in ‘Spot the Difference’, Penrith Regional Gallery, 2024. Photography: Silversalt photography
Image 2: Osselan ‘Ozzy’ Tupai Scanlan and Lyndal Irons in ‘Spot the Difference’. Photography: Eddy Summers
Image 3: Lyndal Irons, ‘Heber Park, Hebersham, 2020’, 2020, dibond print, 80 x 119cm. Courtesy the artist & Penrith Regional Gallery, Home of the Lewers Bequest.

IN CONVERSATION: JAMES COLLEY & TOBY CHAPMAN

Join us on our Open Day this Saturday 18 January from 1pm-2pm for a conversation between James Colley - acclaimed comedian, writer and Penrith local - and Toby Chapman, Director of Visual Arts at Penrith Regional Gallery. They’ll be talking the collision of mythology, storytelling and sport - and how James Colley is directly responsible for the Penrith Panthers’ paw-peat.

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James Colley is known for his work as Head Writer on ‘Gruen’, ‘Question Everything’, ‘The 1% Club’, and ‘The Weekly with Charlie Pickering’. He is the author of the romantic comedy ‘The Next Big Thing’, the satirical essay collection ‘Too Right’, and is co-author of ‘Tries, Lies and Meat Pies: The Sam Thaiday Story’. His writing is regularly featured in The Sydney Morning Herald, The Guardian, and The Big Issue, among others.

Entry is free, no bookings required.

@jamcolley
@creativerep_au
@cafeatlewers
@visitpenrith
@bluemountainsvisitorcentres
@penrithcitycouncil

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Image 1: Portrait of James Colley. Photography: Alex McClintock
Image 2: Portrait of Toby Chapman

Looking for a fun and creative way to spend the school holidays? The Gallery has free drop-in activities for kids of all ages.

Create your own panther mask, weave a talisman, or create a mosaic inspired by Margo Lewers! Explore our exhibitions and grab a coffee and milkshake at Cafe at Lewers while you’re here!

No bookings needed! Just drop in and join the fun during gallery hours (10am- 4pm).

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Image 1: Fluential Studios
Image 2: Eddy Summers
Image 3: Silversalt

We’re back!

Penrith Regional Gallery has officially re-opened for 2025, and rain, hail or shine, it’s the perfect place for the whole family to visit this Summer.

We’ve currently got four exhibitions to see, including our major summer group show ‘Spot the Difference’; Marian Abboud and Vicki Van Hout’s ‘Magic Malfunction’; Felix Jackson’s ‘transcript’; and our collection display ‘ReDivining’.

Coming up on Saturday 18 January is our official Summer Suite open day, with a complete schedule to be announced soon. We also have a range of kids school holiday activities now open for booking via our website.

We’re open every day, Monday - Sunday, from 10am-4pm
Cafe at Lewers is open 7 days from 7:30am-2pm

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Images:
1: Blak Douglas, ‘The original Blak Panther’ (2024) in ‘Spot the Difference’, Penrith Regional Gallery, 2024. Synthetic polymer paint on Belgian linen. 150 x 200cm. Background: Osselan Tupai Scanlan, ‘The Area Picasso’ (2024). Photography: Silversalt
2. Brook Andrew, ‘I split your gaze’ (1997) in ‘ReDivining’, Penrith Regional Gallery, 2024. Photography: Silversalt
3. Marian Abboud and Vicki Van Hout, ‘Magic Malfunction’, Penrith Regional Gallery, 2024. Photography: Silversalt
4. Felix Jackson, ‘transcript’, Penrith Regional Gallery, 2024. Photography: Silversalt