The Leo Kelly Blacktown Arts Centre
The Leo Kelly Blacktown Arts Centre is closed.
Blacktown Arts invites emerging creatives from African and African-descended communities across western Sydney to apply for a paid mentorship with international Nigerian-American artist Victor Ehikhamenor. As part of Undoing the City, a collaboration with Chau Chak Wing Museum, Victor Ehikhamenor will work with a small group of artists to exchange knowledge, ideas and creative practice across cultures, generations and forms over 4 half-day sessions during September to October 2026.
The cohort will also attend the opening of Undoing the City exhibition at Chau Chak Wing Museum.
Artists are expected to be available for all 4 sessions.
- $600 artist fee per session total $2400
- $150 per diem for food and transport total $600
- Total mentee fees $3000
Blacktown Arts will provide:
- artist fees and travel allowance for 4 mentorship sessions
- staff member/s to support during mentorship sessions
- future financial support to develop and deliver a creative workshop for young people in 2027.
Application criteria
- emerging creatives (early stages of career) who identify as African, of African descent, or from a community with African heritage
- aged between 20 to 35 (we are open to applicants older than 35 who define themselves as emerging)
- artist must live in western Sydney, or have strong ties to western Sydney.
Key dates:
- applications open: On Wednesday 26 August, 2026
- applications close: On Wednesday 7 September, 2026, by 11.59 pm
- successful applicant notified: Thursday 10 September, 2026
- first workshop: Thursday 24 September, 2026.
Outcomes:
Successful applicants will be expected to:
- attend all four half-day sessions in full
- attend the opening of Undoing the City at Chau Chak Wing Museum
- actively participate in knowledge exchange and creative dialogue across sessions
- participate in a brief end of programme reflection that could involve a discussion or a written response or a short, recorded interview
- deliver a workshop or public program in 2027 that engages other emerging creatives and shares learnings from this experience.
These outputs will form part of Blacktown Arts’ record of the program and may be used, with the participants consent, in future communications, grant reporting, or exhibition contexts.
Need assistance?
If you have questions or need help with your application, email: blacktownarts@blacktown.nsw.gov.au
Bio
Victor Ehikhamenor is a Nigerian-American multidisciplinary visual artist and writer whose work explores African cultural heritage, postcolonial politics, and the complexities of contemporary Nigeria. Born in Uwessan village, Edo State, he was steeped in the visual/ritual traditions of the Benin Kingdom, which continue to shape his practice. His art falls into three main categories: works featuring abstracted iconography across paintings, sculptures, and installations; pieces using prayer rosaries and bronze statuettes sewn onto lace/canvas to form intricate royal figures and monumental landscapes; and perforated works on handmade paper.
Ehikhamenor is a 2026 Apollo 40 Patrons and Advocates awardee, 2025 Open Society’s Public Intellectual Fellow, 2020 National Artist in Residence at the Neon Museum, Las Vegas, and 2016 Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Fellow. He has exhibited internationally, including representing Nigeria national pavilion at the 57th Venice Biennale (2017), Dak ‘Art Biennale (2016), and Biennale Jogja XIII (2015). His writings appear in The New York Times, Guernica magazine, AGNI magazine, BBC, and CNN. He founded Angels and Muse, a Lagos and Benin City residency supporting multidisciplinary art, literature, and cultural practices. Ehikhamenor is the convener of the annual Black Muse Art Festival in Benin City, Nigeria.
You can find Victor on Instagram here
This project is presented by Blacktown Arts and supported by Blacktown City Council
