Join curator Catherine Woolley for an intimate walkthrough of the exhibition ‘Matters of Time: Contemporary Metal Practices’ at UNSW Galleries. Featuring new commissions and recent works, the exhibition explores the evolving role of metal in contemporary practice and its relationship with time. Bridging traditional smithing techniques and contemporary metalworking approaches, the exhibition spans sculpture, furniture, drawing, jewellery, and installation.
The tour will provide curatorial insight into the diverse processes utilised by the eleven exhibiting practitioners, from hammer-forming, welding, forging, engraving, hand-piercing, enamelling, and electroplating to the phenomena of patination and erosion. The program offers a deeper understanding of how contemporary artists and designers reimagine the possibilities for working with this transformative material.
Tours will be held at 2pm Saturday 18 October and Saturday 15 November 2025.
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Catherine Woolley is a curator and programs producer based on Bidjigal and Gadigal Country, Sydney. She has a decade of experience working across curatorial projects, community engagement programs, and education initiatives in the arts and culture sector. She is currently the Curatorial & Public Engagement Officer at UNSW Galleries where she has curated the exhibitions ‘Matters of Time: Contemporary Metal Practices’ (2025–27, touring nationally); ‘Lisa Sammut: How the earth will approach you’ (2024); and ‘Pliable Planes: Expanded Textiles & Fibre Practices’ (2022–24, with Karen Hall and touring nationally).
Presented in conjunction with the exhibition ‘Matters of Time: Contemporary Metal Practices at UNSW Galleries, 29 August – 16 November 2025.
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