Jo Pickup

ArtsHub's Arts Feature Writer Jo Pickup is based in Perth. An arts writer and manager, she has worked as a journalist and broadcaster for media such as the ABC, RTRFM and The West Australian newspaper, contributing media content and commentary on art, culture and design. She has also worked for arts organisations such as Fremantle Arts Centre, STRUT dance, and the Aboriginal Arts Centre Hub of WA, as well as being a sessional arts lecturer at The Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA).

Jo Pickup's Latest Articles

Sydney Theatre Company: a photo of actor Sarah Snook playing Dorian Gray sitting on an elaborately decorated chaise longue. The chaise longue is decorated in flowers.
Industry News

Profits or losses for state theatre companies: key trends revealed

Our state theatres companies are navigating very challenging market conditions and while the audiences are there, expenses are on the…

Dear Children, Sincerely... 7 Decades of Sri Lanka, written and directed by Ruwanthie de Chickera, Stages Theatre Group. Photo: Prauda Buwaneka.

Artists from the Asia Pacific stand out at international theatre festival

Of more than 30 theatre shows at this year's Theater Der Welt festival in Germany, these three productions from the…

Performers from Chilean theatre company Silencio Blanco at the conclusion of Antuco at the 2026 Theater Der Welt festival in Germany, 2026. Photo: Johannes Richter / Theater Der Welt.
Interviews

Theatre of the World interview: the Chilean artists tapping into puppetry's power

Chilean theatre company Silencio Blanco uses puppetry to create powerful, documentary-style theatre works that are now touring the world.

Nkoli: A Fierce & Fabulous Life. Photo: Mark Lewis.
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Theatre of the World review: South Africa's Nkoli is fierce and fabulous opera

In the opera Nkoli, a majority Black South African cast bring the energy to a story of activism and defiance.

In Absence Mona Yhonnie Scarce: a photo of a large ciccular ashen-coloured wooden tower installed amongst trees on the edge of a river which is Berriedale Bay in Nipaluna/ Hobart.
News

Yhonnie Scarce's In Absence now permanently installed at Mona

Visitors to this year's Dark Mofo festival will be among the first to experience the monumental and moving installation in…

contemporary dance: a photo of four dancers, three of whom are dressed in a bright red costume moving vigorously on stage against a black background. One of the four, a male dancer, is bare-chested and his head is covered with a drum (musical instrument). There is another drum on stage pictured at the of the photo.
Industry News

Profits or losses for contemporary dance companies: who’s in best and worst shape?

In lean times for the sector, contemporary dance companies are maintaining stability while some are securing partnerships to extend their…

Photo: srinivas bandari on Unsplash.
Features

How children's authors are managing the fallout from Craig Silvey’s guilty plea

In a difficult time for the Australian KidLit community, authors are having much-needed conversations to keep connections with young readers…

Khaled Sabsabi's artwork conference of one's self, 2026 installed at the Australia Pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale. A wall-size video screen projection showing abstract purple patterns. Three viewers stand in a darkened space around it.
Features

Can this year’s Venice Biennale artists avoid politics amid protests and pavilion closures?

The protests continue to overshadow the art at this year’s Venice Biennale. Can its exhibiting artists really stay out of…

arts leaders: a photo of a woman's hand holding a smartphone that is showing the stopwatch app at 19 seconds to go.
Features

Should arts leaders have time limits on their tenures?

A recent spike in departure announcements from long-serving Australian arts leaders prompts the question: how long is too long at…

John Brack x Noel McKenna exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery: a woman dressed in black is sitting on a gallery bench looking at a range of small paintings hung on the gallery walls . One wall is a deep purple colour, the other is white.
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John Brack x Noel McKenna review: National Portrait Gallery’s masterful pairing of two great Australian painters

The shared interests of two Australian artists prove a fitting portal through which to explore their unique artistic voices.

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