Lullaby : The 2025 Brunswick Street Gallery Small Works Art Prize

There is an undeniable magic in seeing your artwork suspended in a gallery—no longer just an extension of your own imagination, but something that stands on its own, waiting to be seen, felt, and understood by others. This January, I had the honor of exhibiting my painting, Lullaby, at the Brunswick Street Gallery 2025 Small Works Art Prize, Australia’s largest open-call art prize for small-scale works.

This year’s exhibition was a celebration of artistic diversity, with over 660 artists from across Australia and beyond showcasing their work. The walls of the gallery became a kaleidoscope of creative voices, spanning painting, drawing, photography, ceramics, sculpture, weaving, and more. Each piece measured no more than 35x35x35cm, proving that even the smallest of artworks can hold entire worlds within them.

My submission, Lullaby, was a dreamscape still-life—a quiet yet evocative tableau of childhood relics, Catholic iconography, and echoes of bedtime stories whispered in the soft glow of a nightlight. It was deeply personal, a piece woven from memory and myth, suspended between the real and the imagined.

To my delight, Lullaby was named in the Hidden Gems & Staff Picks selection—an acknowledgment that felt deeply special. The curators, gallery show-runners, handlers, and installers of the exhibition, who had lived alongside these artworks from arrival to departure, had chosen my piece as one not to be missed. These were the works that had intrigued them, made them smile, or lingered in their minds long after the day had ended. To be among their selections was an honor, a quiet affirmation that Lullaby had resonated in ways I had only hoped it would.

I often wonder who stood before my painting and felt something—who paused for just a moment, caught in its quiet spell. Perhaps someone saw a reflection of their own childhood, a fleeting memory unlocked by a familiar object or a half-remembered story. Perhaps it spoke to someone in a way even I could not have anticipated. That, to me, is the beauty of art—it continues to tell its story long after it has left the artist’s hands.

Being part of the Brunswick Street Gallery Small Works Art Prize was more than just an exhibition; it was a reminder of the boundless intimacy and universality of art. That something so small in scale could hold such weight, could speak in a language beyond words, is what makes painting—and sharing that work—so extraordinary. And for Lullaby, wherever it may find its home, I hope it continues to whisper its story to those who need to hear it.