Spence Messih | A river runs through
A river runs through is Spence Messih’s first national touring and institutional solo exhibition. This project draws upon the metaphor of the river and the politics of water to probe societal, political, and cultural desires to control, direct, and extract. By examining the intersections of gender, capital accumulation, and water management, Messih seeks to unravel the complex histories and debts that flow beneath the surface of these systems, questioning who they serve, and at what cost.
Messih has received VACS Major Commissioning Projects Funding from Creative Australia to support an extended period of research, cultural consultation, mentorship and production.
Central to the vision for A river runs through is a super-8 film on the subjects of local water politics, embodiment, and capitalism; shot on location at coastal and riparian zones, waterways, inlets, estuaries and ‘catchment’ areas. The film narrates the movement of water and surrounding landscapes, and includes the people Messih meets along the way, together with imagery of the development of the accompanying series of sculptural and text works. Messih will work with First Nations Cultural Advisors in all locations to ensure the project respects Country and complies with the Creative Australia Protocols for using First Nations Cultural and Intellectual Property in the Arts.
A river runs through also includes a series of photopolymer photogravure prints based on ultrasound scans of Messih’s chest prior to surgery, to be exhibited alongside a series of kiln-formed glass and timber marquetry sculptures that slip between landscape, abstraction and figuration. These works will be produced in collaboration with Megalo Print Studio, Canberra, Kirstie Rea at Canberra Glassworks, woodworker Peter Young and fabricator Celeste Stein, building on prior collaborative relationships.
In addition, Messih will produce three discrete print publications that feature his own writing alongside commissioned short-form texts by Hil Malatino, Amelia Groom, and Astrid Lorange & Andrew Brooks. The texts will explore and expand upon the thematic frames of climate justice, capital extraction and gendered embodiment, to the politics of water, river systems and fluvial channels. These text-based works speak to the sites where the intimate and collective intersect with larger political and environmental histories.
Portrait of Artist Spence Messih with artwork Minor Truths, 2022. This installation sculpture with glass and jarrah was recently acquired by the Art Gallery of New South Wales credit: Salkauskas Acquisition Fund and the JS Watkins Memorial Fund 2023
About the Artist
Spence Messih’s practice—incorporating sculpture, installation, and text—is attuned to the nuances of language, materiality, pressure, and transformation. Informed by personal and communal experiences, Messih’s work uses abstraction as a means to claim presence and self-recognition. Collaboration is a core methodology in his practice, enabling new material experimentation and inviting diverse perspectives and entry points. Messih’s previous works have engaged with trans archives to find solidarities and new ways of relating within and beyond limiting social and systematic structures.
His work has been exhibited at MAMA; MCA, Sydney; QAGOMA, Brisbane; ACCA, Melbourne; Auto Italia, London, and Artspace, Sydney. Messih completed a PhD titled Double Bind: (Trans)materiality and Tactics of Abstraction at UNSW in 2021.
Messih’s recent commission Minor truths (MAMA, 2022/23)—a major body of work comprising large kiln-formed glass sculptures, audio, and text—was jointly acquired for the collections of MAMA and AGNSW. Minor truths was based on archival research on British trans man Michael Dillon (1915–62), exploring Dillon’s optimistic search for mastery and self-actualisation. This series established collaborations with artist Archie Barry, fabricator Celeste Stein, Kirstie Rea at Canberra Glassworks, and writer Hil Malatino.
In 2018/19 Messih researched and produced Hard forms, soft lives for Primavera: Young Australian Artists (MCA, 2018/19), curated by Megan Robson. The series was based on the archives of Lou Sullivan, an American writer and pioneer of the grassroots trans movement and explored social and architectural structures intended to provide support.
Text—often fictional, anecdotal, and candid—has been a fundamental part of Messih’s practice for the past 15 years, where it is often employed to open up alternative encounters and readings of his work. Building on Messih’s doctoral research, text enables multiple ‘readings’ of the social, political, and ethical modes of embodiment. Messih has published writing in academic journals and literary magazines and produced experimental texts alongside several of his exhibitions.
Messih’s work is held in the collections of Artbank, AGNSW, and MAMA.
Cinder, Spence Messih, image courtesy the artist
Public Programs
A river runs through has been developed to extend established collaborations and foster mentorships and learning opportunities with key collaborators and institutions connected to Messih’s research and practice. This opportunity presents a significant and timely opportunity for the artist to deepen, challenge and amplify his work for audiences.
A river runs through is ideally suited to stimulate local interest in public programs that explore themes related to:
– water politics and conservation
– situating First Nations knowledges
– creative writing workshops and community publishing
Messih has extensive experience as an educator and workshop facilitator; having drafted CLEAR EXPECTATIONS (with Archie Barry) guidelines for institutions, galleries, and curators working with trans, non-binary and gender diverse artists in Australia (supported by Countess and NAVA). This exhibition has clear potential to engage institutional audiences of all ages with learning experiences related to gender and the environment.
Touring resources will be developed to engage audiences with Messih’s practice and related thematics.
Touring Information
Museums & Galleries of NSW is partnering with UTS Gallery to tour A river runs through.
We are now seeking expressions of interest from galleries, museums and art centres who would like to host A river runs through. Audio visual, sculptural, and text components will travel with the tour, and the exhibition is suitable for venues with qualified installation staff and ideally suited to venues with an interest in community engagement and public program delivery.
Following its premiere at UTS Gallery in early 2026 and pending funding success, A river runs through is available to tour to galleries, museums and arts centres in late 2026/27. This exhibition allows for some flexibility and site-responsive exhibition planning at each touring venue.
Early research into development of a touring schedule would preference regional museums and galleries that are located along the line of a single river system, or significant water catchment zone, to amplify the themes of the exhibition.
Please contact M&G NSW for further information:
Ashleigh Reardon
Exhibitions Manager
(02) 5663 2333
ashleighr@mgnsw.org.au
About Museums & Galleries of NSW
Museums & Galleries of NSW helps small-medium museums, galleries and Aboriginal cultural centres create exciting experiences for visitors and, through this, thriving local NSW communities.We don’t run museums, galleries and cultural centres but we care about those who do. We develop their skills, connect them with others in the industry, provide funding, point visitors their way, and give them access to ground-breaking exhibitions. M&G NSW offices are located on Gadigal Land, The Rocks, Sydney.
About UTS Gallery
UTS Gallery & Art Collection cares for and situates contemporary art in order to produce and hold knowledge, build shared understanding and make space for experimentation.
We welcome diverse audiences to engage with contemporary art through curated public exhibitions and related programs, learning resources, and publishing
UTS Gallery & Art Collection is a member of the University Art Museums Australia (UAMA) membership organisation.