A Rolls Royce sedan painted in camouflage drifts on a dirt road kicking up a cloud of dust
Still from OA_RR, Reko Rennie (2016–17) courtesy of the artist

Applications are now closed for the Artbank + ACMI Commission

About the commission

The Artbank + ACMI Commission supports Australian artists and filmmakers to make a new, ambitious and experimental screen-based work, and to explore new forms and methodologies in their practice. The commission supports the creation of new Australian work.

The successful artist or filmmaker will be awarded $70,000 to make a new work that will be exhibited at ACMI in 2023 and subsequently enter into the Artbank and ACMI collections.


Eligibility – who can apply?

You must be an Australian artist or filmmaker to apply for this commission.

To be classified as an Australian artist, you must either be:

  • Born in Australia
  • An Australian citizen
  • Living in Australia as an approved temporary resident for a minimum of two year, and/or a permanent resident of Australia.

The artist may be living in Australia or overseas as long as at least one of the above stated criteria are demonstrable.

Where the artwork is produced by an artist collective or collaboration, no less than fifty percent of the contributors must meet the above criteria.

First Nations artists are strongly encouraged to apply.

The proposed work should be able to find a home in a gallery space at ACMI and be appropriate for rental through Artbank’s art leasing scheme. This includes:

  • being appropriate for display in public spaces and for a general audience.
  • being in intrinsically sound condition and reasonably resistant to deterioration in the routine operations of Artbank including display, packing and transportation.

The project should be ready to commence in June 2022 and must be delivered in mid-2023.

  • Artists need to be able to commit to the production period and it must be possible for the commissioning partners to maintain regular contact throughout the production process.
  • We are not able to fund projects retrospectively.

Essential information

Key dates:

1 April 2022 Applications open
13 May 2022
Applications close at 11:59PM
June 2022
Project commences
June 2023
Delivery deadline

The successful work must be available for potential rental through Artbank’s art leasing scheme. Please familiarise yourself with Artbank’s acquisition guidelines, which can be found here.

Please direct enquiries to commissions@acmi.net.au

APPLY

Applications are now closed for the Artbank + ACMI Commission.

Previous winners

Reko Rennie (headshot)

Reko Rennie: What Do We Want? (2022)

Kamilaroi artist Reko Rennie's proposed multi-channel video work will draw on 1970s Blaxploitation films and his own 25 years of martial arts practice in Melbourne’s western suburbs to probe political, environmental and social questions.

Find out more
Zanny Begg, The Beehive, 2018; courtesy the artist. Photograph by Philippa Bateman, featuring Koco Carey

Zanny Begg: The Beehive (2018)

Consisting of scripted fictions, documentary interviews and choreographed scenes with multiple actors playing the role of Juanita, The Beehive is a non-linear experimental documentary exploring the unsolved murder of Sydney anti-development campaigner and glamourous style icon Juanita Nielsen in Kings Cross in 1975.

Find out more

FAQs

What exactly does the winner receive?

The successful artist or filmmaker will receive $70,000 to make a new screen-based work which will subsequently enter into the Artbank and ACMI collections. The winner also receives an ACMI X industry membership and support from curators at ACMI and Artbank.

What should I include in the budget?

You must ensure your budget realistically covers the cost of making the project and paying contributors appropriately, as there is no capacity for an increase in the Commission sum of $70,000.

ACMI will cover the cost of your project’s presentation where it includes standard audio-visual gallery equipment and infrastructure. These costs do not need to be included in the budget.

It is expected that commissioned artist(s) pay themselves an artist fee. The artist fee is not fixed, however this will be looked at in the context of the budget, the scale of the project, the amount of time you need to allocate to making the work and the number of roles you will be taking on as part of the project. It is recommended that the National Association for Visual Arts (NAVA) fee schedule is used as a guide. The commission funds cannot be spent on arts training, study or conferences.

What is Artbank?

Established in 1980, Artbank’s two core objectives are to support Australian contemporary artists through the acquisition of their work and to promote the value of Australian contemporary art to the broader public. The Artbank collection is comprised of approximately 10,000 works by over 3,500 artists, across media, and includes some of the best examples of Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australia art produced over the last four decades. Artbank makes this work accessible through an art leasing program which is accessed by corporate, private and government clients nationally and internationally. More at artbank.gov.au

What are Artbank’s acquisition guidelines?

Please read the guidelines at artbank.gov.au

Will the commissioned work be exhibited?

Yes. We envisage this exhibition to take place in ACMI’s Gallery 3 in mid-2023, but this is subject to change.

Once the work enters into the Artbank and ACMI collections, it will be made available for potential rental through Artbank’s art leasing scheme and also may be shown elsewhere in ACMI’s galleries and cinemas.

What does Gallery 3 at ACMI look like?

View the 3D model and floorplan of Gallery 3 on the IPMIC website

Does the work have to debut at ACMI?

Yes. The work will premiere at ACMI and should not have been shown elsewhere during its development.

Will there be another funding round?

No. This is the final round of this three-year commissioning program

Can I reapply?

Yes. With the exception of previous winners, artists who have previously submitted applications are welcome to reapply.

How many proposals can I submit?

Applicants can only submit one proposal. You can however, submit one application as the principal artist and be included as a collaborator on another artist’s proposal.

Does the project have to be completed within 12 months of receiving the Commission?

Yes. The project must be able to be completed within 12 months’ of receiving the Commission. The deadline for delivery is June 2023.

How will my application be assessed?

Applications will be assessed by a judging panel of curators from ACMI and Artbank, as well as external advisors. Each application will be scored by the panel according to the following selection criteria:

  • Quality and originality of the proposed screen-based work, as demonstrated in the project description
  • Feasibility of the project, as demonstrated through the project budget and production schedule
  • Artistic merit, as demonstrated through visual support material and CV

Can I get feedback on a project idea before I submit it?

ACMI’s curators can provide general advice on a project idea, but they will not read applications before they are submitted. Likewise, Artbank’s Program Manager can provide general advice on the preparation of an application, but will not read it before it is submitted. Decisions regarding short-listed artists and winners are at the discretion of the judges.

Contact

Please direct general enquiries to commissions@acmi.net.au