Evan Humphreys, Cloister Chair, 2024. Image courtesy of the artist.
Gavin Bradstreet | Wilay Designs | Matthew Freeman | Michele Grimstom | Shaun Hayes | Matilda Hillam | Evan Humphreys | Karen Lee | Sandy Ma | Paul Mclnnes | Melissa Nickols | Jessica Spencer | Lisa Stevenson | Grace Walters
Gallery 1
Opening Thursday 22 October, 2026, 6-8pm
Friday 23 October - Sunday 15 November
‘Bespoke Utopia’ brings together leading Canberra artists whose practices embrace the principles of slow design, offering an alternative to the norms of post-capitalist production. Showcasing the depth and diversity of the region's art and design community, the exhibition highlights creative practices that celebrate care, craftsmanship and long-term thinking.
In today's post-capitalist economy, contemporary design often functions as a driver of overconsumption. Much of popular design is classified as ephemeral, disposable or temporal, categories that reflect the broader issue of planned obsolescence. These approaches carry significant ethical and environmental implications, particularly in the face of accelerating climate change. Bespoke Utopia invites audiences to critically consider how these design practices shape our world and to reflect on their long-term consequences.
The artists featured in Bespoke Utopia prioritise thoughtful, responsible making over rapid, large-scale manufacturing. Drawing on traditions of craftsmanship and handmade processes, their work positions slow design as both a philosophy and a form of creative activism - one that contributes to broader cultural shifts towards environmental and social sustainability. Through sustained engagement with materials, form and process, the exhibition highlights how deliberate, mindful design can foster more enduring and environmentally conscious ways of living.
Canberra's design identity has long been characterised by the convergence of fine art, craft and applied design. Shaped by the region's strong history of craft education, community studios and maker networks, the artists in Bespoke Utopia combine traditional techniques with contemporary visual languages to create works that are innovative, finely crafted and conceptually grounded. Together, they celebrate the strength of local artistic practice while contributing to wider conversations about sustainability, material culture and the role of design in shaping everyday life.
Learn More About 2026 Craft and Design Festival:
The 2026 Craft + Design Canberra Festival celebrates Canberra as a creative city of design, showcasing the work of more than 500 artists, makers, designers and creative thinkers. Across ten days, experience more than 130 activations, including events, exhibitions, markets, open studios, performances, public artworks, symposiums, talks, tours and workshops across the city.
Responding to the theme of Dissent, the Festival explores how craft, design and creative practice can question what exists, challenge convention and imagine different ways forward. Discover work engaging with environmental and social impact, sustainability, wellbeing, accessibility and the future of Canberra.
Celebrating the handmade and locally made, the Festival recognises the skills, stories and material knowledge held within our creative communities. Together, the program considers craft, design and art as practical tools for responding to the challenges of our time and shaping more sustainable, equitable and imaginative futures.