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Louis Joel Gallery

Louis Joel Gallery champions local art and local artists, developing a diverse program of visual arts exhibitions that reflect the creativity and originality of our community. Through projects and programming Louis Joel Gallery supports artists at all stages of their career to produce and show work in an inclusive and supportive environment.

Louis Joel Gallery is housed within the Louis Joel Arts & Community Centre, a vibrant community owned and operated not for profit organisation located on the site of the old Altona Hospital. As such, we look for arts programming that supports local community engagement and assists community development.

Exhibitions & Events

A Riot of Colour

Hobsons Bay Arts Society’s Annual Members’ Showcase

29 August to 17 September

Launch: Friday 28 August at 7pm

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In Conversation With

Our latest artist talk with Varga Hosseini now available online!

We enjoy hosting our exhibiting artists for talks, performances, workshops, or demonstrations. Watch our latest interviews with exhibiting artists such as Dovey Dee, Stu Thomas & Ceardai Demelza, on our Youtube Channel at the link below.

Image from 'In Conversation with': Varga Hosseini during his collaborative exhibition with Fari Hosseini 'Light Touch'.
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Exhibit with Us

Louis Joel Gallery

The Louis Joel Gallery is a unique exhibition space in the heart of Altona. Situated within the Louis Joel Arts & Community Centre, a community-owned not-for-profit venture in the site of the old Altona Hospital, Louis Joel Gallery has a mandate to support local artists and represent the interests and concerns of our community. While preference may be given to residents of Melbourne's western suburbs, the gallery also hosts a number of interstate artists and travelling exhibitions each year. Louis Joel Gallery welcomes established and emerging artists of mediums and forms. Arts programming at Louis Joel Arts & Community Centre is dedicated to inclusion and aims to continually produce artistic programming that meaningfully supports artists from underrepresented communities. As a part of this commitment we offer a sliding scale rate of payment for First Nations artists and community-based exhibitions.

Prospective exhibitors should refer to the Gallery Terms & Conditions and send a completed Expression of Interest form to gallery@ljac.com.au.

Image of: Group Exhibition 'In Conversation' from 2023, curated by Tara Glastonbury
Expression of Interest
Terms & Conditions

Emerging Artist Wall

The Emerging Artist Wall is a space that showcases the talent of student and emerging artists from within our local community. In this free offering, artists are invited to present a small vignette of completed works, gaining exhibition skills while introducing their works to our creative community. Each emerging artist is invited to exhibit for a month and provided with opportunities to participate in installs in the Louis Joel Gallery, attend launches and events, and receive mentoring and advice to the benefit of their artistic practice and career. Emerging artists also have te option of listing their works for sale through our gallery shop over the course of their residence.

To register your interest to become a Louis Joel Emerging Artist email gallery@ljac.com.au.

Image of: Zoran Babic's Emerging Artist Wall Exhibition
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Gallery Shop

Calling All Designers, Artists & Makers

We are seeking applications for a range of original, handmade, local and innovative small artworks & products to feature in our Gallery Shop. All mediums welcome. We strongly encourage applications from First Nations, LGBTQIA+ and emerging artists and creatives.

Image Credit: Tyran Kouka of Lilt Jewellery
Expression of Interest
Terms & Conditions

Shop Local

Looking for a gift for someone special? Browse our wide range of jewellery, books, ceramics & small sculptures at our Gallery Shop. Buying from our shop will directly make an impact on our community of local extraordinary makers, designers and artists as well as our not-for-profit centre. We are committed to being a platform or launchpad for local makers to make their work known in the local Altona community.

Image featuring resin vases by artist Uniqmoho
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Past Exhibitions

Nuanced Nature: Micro to Macro

Jill Pope

Opening: Saturday 1 August 12pm
Exhibition open: 01/08 - 26/08
Meet the artist: Date TBC

You are invited to slow down and notice the finer details. Jill pope explores the invisible threads connecting our oceans to our forest, from the architectural complexity of microscopic forms and skeletal corals to the sundrenched textures of gum leaves and blossoms.

Image (crpped) courtesy of Jill Pope
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Testing Studio

Group Exhibition
Celebration event: Friday 17 July | 6-8pm
Exhibition: 10/07 - 29/07

Testing Studio presents the outcome of a week-long, closed installation process in which emerging artists worked one-on-one with the Louis Joel Gallery curator to install, test, refine, and document their work within a gallery context. Each work has been shaped in relation to the space and those installed before it, resulting in a layered exhibition reflecting multiple approaches to display and decision-making. Visitors are invited to engage more deeply through artist-led prompts, with the option to share reflections that contribute to the artists’ development.

Image description: Detail of sculpture by Michal Plis exhibited at "Glimpse of Another Universe" at Louis Joel Gallery 2025.
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Museum of Monoculture

Justine Philip
Opening event: Saturday 30 May 12pm
Exhibition: 30/05 - 24/06
Meet the Artist: Sundays 11am - 2pm

This is an exhibition of photomontage screen prints by Bendigo based agricultural historian and printmaker, Justine Philip. The works respond to the vast scale of our industrial food and fibre production systems, and the striking absence of visual records documenting these modern landscapes. They examine the lives of animals caught up within these systems – from pest species and livestock, to the endangered and extinct. Drawing on traditions of 20th Century protest posters, they question the technology and thought that drives the Monoculturalists to literally mine our soils, ignoring biological limits and unravelling ecological complexity. The exhibition encourages reflection on agricultural futures, food security and kindness.

Image (cropped) courtesy of Justine Philip. Thylacine 2025.
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Australian Wide Nine

Presented by OzQuilt Network Inc.
Opening Event: Saturday 2 May 12pm
Open late on Thursday 7 May until 7pm
Exhibition: 02/05 - 27/05


The exhibition demonstrates the scope and variety of stitched and layered textiles. Materials used range from cotton and silk to paper and cardboard and even shoelaces! Techniques include: hand and machine stitching, digital printing, needle felting, gelatine printing, plantdyeing, collage and painting. The works address many different themes with diverse interpretations and styles.
Image (cropped) courtesy of OzQuilt Network Inc.

5 x 7 Art Prize | Theme: Nostalgia

Presented by Hobsons Bay Art Society
Opening event: Friday 10 April 7pm
Exhibition: 11/04 - 30/04

In its 12th year, the theme this year is “Nostalgia”. This event is proudly supported by Hobsons Bay City Council, Atelier Art Supplies and Louis Joel Gallery. All welcome!.

Image (cropped) courtesy of Hobsons Bay Art Society

Plants & Vessels: A Botanical Art Exhibition

Dolores Skowronski-Malloni
Opening event: Saturday 07 February 12pm
Exhibition: 07 February - 25 February 2026

Dolores Skowronski-Malloni is a Botanical Illustrator who celebrates the beauty and intricacy of plants through detailed watercolour and pencil works. This exhibition explores the timeless relationship between plants and vessels, showcasing vibrant works from the past 20 years, including two new collections.

Image (cropped) courtesy of the artist

2099: Messages to our Queer Future

Curated by The Artist Known as Foot
Opening event: Saturday 24 January 12pm - featuring a performance by Nicholas Collins
Workshop: Saturday 31 December 1pm
17 January - 4 February 2026

How far has queer liberation come in the past 75 years? If you could call out to the future, what would you tell the young queer folk of 2099, what would you tell yourself?

This exhibition has been supported by Creative City Hobsons Bay
Image (cropped) courtesy of The Artist Known as Foot

Learning Curve

Hobsons Bay Art Society
Opening event: Sunday 07 December 2025 | 1 - 3pm
6 December - 17 December

A celebration of artistic development enjoyed by artists attending HBAS art classes and groups throughout 2025.

Image courtesy of Hobsons Bay Art Society

Glimpse of Another Universe

Michal Plis
Opening event: Saturday 15 November 2025 | 12pm
15 November - 3 December 2025
Nocturnal Guided Walthrough: Saturday 29 Nov | 8:30pm

Glimpse of Another Universe invites you into a fresh perspective where material and light converge to reveal a new art movement. In paintings and sculptures, fluorescent pigments, phosphorescent coatings, transparent layers and reflective surfaces unlock hidden depths.

Image courtesy of Michal Plis

Echoes of Elsewhere

Dovey Dee & Julee Latimer
Opening Event: Saturday 1 November 2025 | 12pm
1 November - 12 November 2025

This exhibition invites you to experience place through two deeply personal visions. Julee Latimer transforms paint into intricate textiles that capture shifting rhythms and disrupted patterns of connection, loss, and change. Dovey Dee's paintings glow with the unique light and colours of the Australian landscape, evoking time, history, and quiet reflection. Together, their work reveals the layered power of place, both its physical presence and the unfolding stories it carries, encouraging viewers to see how memory and landscape intertwine.

Image courtesy of the artists

Annual Members' Showcase

Group Exhibition
Opening event: Friday 10 October 2025 | 7pm
11 October - 30 October 2025

An exhibition of artworks by members of the Hobsons Bay Arts Society. This showcase reveals the unique perspectives and evolving styles of our talented artists, highlighting their passion and skill as they develop and refine their creative journeys.

Image courtesy of Hobsons Bay Art Society

Transcriptions

Group Exhibition
Opening event, celebration, mentor & artist talks:
Saturday 27 September 2025 | 12pm
23 September - 4 October 2025

Transcriptions is a multi-site exhibition amplifying personal truth and collective storytelling through the eyes of 24 emerging artists from Melbourne’s west. Led by the Wunder Gym arts program in partnership with Hobsons Bay and Wyndham City, the artists are mentored by James Nguyen, and their project explores memory, migration, and identity transforming family archives, redacted documents, and whispered histories into powerful new artworks.
Presented as part of Melbourne Fringe Festival.
Image courtesy of Wundergym

Lustreous Intent

Timothy White
Opening event: Saturday 30 August 12pm
30 August - 17 September 2025
Tim is an Australian ceramicist creating unique, wheel-thrown porcelain pieces. Lustreous Intent invites audiences to engage with the visual beauty of his work and imagine it in their own spaces. Inspired by a high school teacher, Tim began making ceramics at home, working with stoneware and a gas kiln. Formal training expanded his skills, leading to his “all-in-one” process—from raw clay to finished piece.

Image (cropped) courtesy of the artist

The Positive and Negative Spaces

Xiang Li & Ariel De Ramos
Opening event: Saturday 9 August 12pm
9 August - 28 August 2025
 Positives and Negative Spaces, an exhibition by award-winning artists Xiang and Ariel, explores the connection between art and wellbeing. Xiang uses small watercolours from the 100 Days ART YOU OK™ project to visualise positive mental health words, encouraging emotional connection and self-reflection. In contrast, Ariel’s acrylic landscapes highlight the importance of negative space visually and metaphorically, strongly emphasising rest and clarity.

Image (cropped) courtesy of the artists

Here and There

John Anrep, Bob Gilpin & Jill Pung Clifford
Opening event: Saturday 19 July 2025 4pm
19 July - 6 August 2025
After the resounding success of last year’s exhibition Journey Across the Bay, old mates, painter John Anrep and photographer Bob Gilpin, are excited to throw their lot in with artist Jill Pung Clifford, to create this dynamic group exhibition.

Image (cropped) courtesy of John Anrep

Nature is a Home

Group exhibition featuring artists from the west of Narrm (Melbourne)
Opening event: Saturday 28 June 12pm
28 June - 16 July 2025

Nature is a home, and home is more than a location – it’s a story we tell and retell. A story shaped by memory, community, survival and care.
Coinciding with Louis Joel Arts & Community’s 20th year, Nature is a Home is a group exhibition exploring how memory, creativity and storytelling sustain our responsibility to nurture both nature (our home) and community.
Image (cropped) courtesy of Mischa Wang

Hobsons Bay Through the Lens: Celebrating 60 years of the WIlliamstown Camera Club

Group Photographic Exhibition
Opening event: Saturday 7 June 2025 12pm
7 June - 25 June 2025
 Founded in 1965, the Williamstown Camera Club is the oldest continually operating photography club in Hobsons Bay and the surrounding western suburbs. To mark this significant anniversary, we wanted to share our celebrations with our wider community and highlight the photographic nature of Hobsons Bay.
This project is supported by Hobsons Bay City Council through its Make it Happen Grants program.
Image (cropped) courtesy of Cas Bukor

Under the Sea: Coral Reef Project

Curated by Jill Bilston & Robyn Law in collaboration with Walker Close Community Centre.
Group Exhibition
Opening event: Friday 23 May 6:30pm
24 May - 3 June 2025

The Coral Reef Exhibition reflects the involvement of over 300 women and children across neighbourhoods of Hobsons Bay. 8 workshops created social situations for people to chat, learn more about the neighbourhood they live in, develop friends and feel an integral part of the community they live in. Image (cropped) courtesy of Robyn Law

Three Artists: One Journey

Altona Artisans @ LJAC Ceramic Studio
Group Exhibition
Opening event: Saturday 26 April 12pm
26 April - 14 May 2025

Bringing together the unique yet interconnected works of Amanda, Ilona, and Juan; through ceramics, mosaics, wood, and clay sculptures, this exhibition explores the shared creative journey of three artists shaping raw materials into expressive forms.
Image (cropped) courtesy of Altona Artisans

5 x 7 Art Prize

Hobsons Bay Art Society
Group Exhibition
Opening event: Friday 4th April 7pm
5th - 23rd April 2025

In its 11th year, the 5X7 (five by seven) Art Prize features postcard-sized artworks created by artists from Melbourne’s Western Region, and includes a separate competition for 10 Hobsons Bay schools. The theme for 2025 is Patterns.
Image (cropped) courtesy of Hobsons Bay Art Society

West of the Bridge

Paul McVeigh
Opening Event: Saturday 15th March 1pm
Featuring live performances & spoken word from celebrated Australian writer and lecturer Marion May Campbell
15th - 30th March 2025

Spaciality. Sometimes we use the word style or creativity to broadly define our understanding of categories, in the context of defining various differences between artworks and the idiosyncrasies of different artists.
Image (cropped) courtesy of Paul McVeigh

Altona: Shadow & Light

Ronaldo San Andres
Opening Event: Saturday 22nd Feb 12pm Meet the Artist: Sunday 2nd March 12pm - 2pm
22nd February - 12th March 2025

‘Altona: Shadow and Light’ is a series of paintings capturing the beauty, mood and drama of a particular scene in Altona through shadows and lights. In Ronaldo San Andres' experience, shadows and lights are more powerful getting attention than the intricate detail of a scene.
Image (cropped) courtesy of Ronaldo San Andres.

Nonlimerent // Monosexual: An Aromantic and Asexual History

Curated by Luciella Scarlett in collaboration with Emily Busch & Kate Wood
Opening Event: Saturday 1st Feb 1pm
1st February - 20th February 2025

In February 2025, the Louis Joel Gallery will celebrate 10 years since the Victorian Aces (now Aces+ Melbourne) first marched in the annual Midsumma pride parade with a history and art exhibition focused on the A in LGBTQIA+.
Image (cropped) courtesy of Luciella Scarlett.

Q Art Project

Wyndham Youth Services Q Program
Thursday 16th January - Wednesday 29th January 2025

The Q Art Project is an LGBTQIA+ self-expression initiative designed to showcase the artistic talents and voices of rainbow-identifying youth aged 12-25 who have a connection to Wyndham or Hobsons Bay. This youth-led project is driven by the Wyndham Youth Services Q Program, and supported by Hobsons Bay Youth Services, with young people and community members actively involved in producing the work
Image (cropped) courtesy of Wyndham City Council

Learning Curve

Hobsons Bay Art Society
Group Exhibition
Opening event: Friday 6th Dec 7pm
7th December - 20th December

A celebration of artistic development enjoyed by artists attending HBAS art classes and groups throughout 2024.

Image courtesy of Hobsons Bay Art Society

We Are Made of Stars

Amanda Ruck, featuring collaborative works with poet Beata Frey Taylor & visual artist/designer Simon Bowland
26th October - 5th December

Amanda Ruck has spent many years looking up at the sky, tilting her head, squinting into the sun, working out how light and colours define clouds.
Amanda uses cloudy weather patterns as a vehicle for emotion. Her dark broody landscapes provide a ballast for a window of light, allowing the viewer to contemplate where the path leads, or what is over the horizon.

Image courtesy of Amanda Ruck.

Secundum Artem

Vincenza Fazzalori & Lee Agius
4th October - 24th October
Opening event: Saturday, 5th October 2024

A collaborative exhibition between Artful Warrior/Lee Agius, Visual Arts Together/ Vincenza Fazzalori, and 18 artists from across Melbourne's West. Collectively, the work reframes the notion of Identity through the lens of ableism, place & space.

Image courtesy of artists.

Annual Showcase

Hobsons Bay Art Society
13th September - 3rd October

The artists of Hobsons Bay Arts Society are proud to present their latest works in their collaborative “Annual Showcase” exhibition. With a diverse mix of styles and mediums, there will be something for everyone in this wonderful collection of creativity.

Image from current exhibition: 'Annual Showcase' by Hobsons Bay Art Society

Light Touch

Fari and Varga Hosseini
Opening Saturday 24th August 1pm
Artist Talk Thursday 5th September 2pm
24th August - 12th September 2024
 Inspired by twentieth-century art, literature, and cinema, the collaborative paintings in this exhibition trace the effect of light on coloured, patterned, tactile, and reflective surfaces. Be informed of opening event details by signing up to our newsletter.

Art on the Edge

Donna Summers
3rd August - 22nd August 2024
 Artist for over 45 years, local and former Pier St business owner of Smart Artz has an extensive background exploring many artforms and mediums; from life drawing, photography, graphic design, screen printing, oil painting and now fluid art, producing stunning results with colours and movement.

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We are proud to have been supporting the community of Hobsons Bay for almost 20 years by delivering affordable arts, culture & leisure programs. You can make a direct impact to your community by donating to Louis Joel Arts & Community.
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Image supplied by Scarlett Rose of exhibition 'Flesh & Clothes' with artworks by Jesse Symon & Lin Tobias