Curated by Early Career Curator Elloise Ansell, the exhibition positions emerging bodies of work within a professional collecting context, reframing experimentation as both rigorous and collectable.

Presented as an intimate, concentrated exhibition, COLLECT: Focus 2026 offers artists the opportunity to present a cohesive body of work while engaging with exhibition-making in The Lock-Up’s unique historical setting. By connecting early career artists with new audiences and collectors, COLLECT: Focus supports artistic and career development while strengthening the creative ecology of the Hunter Region.

Photograph by Ben Adams.