[{"id":54222,"date":"2026-02-25T16:37:51","date_gmt":"2026-02-25T05:37:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/acca.melbourne\/?post_type=press_release&p=54222"},"modified":"2026-02-25T16:37:51","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T05:37:51","slug":"laura-de-neefe-appointed-executive-director-acca","status":"publish","type":"press_release","link":"https:\/\/acca.melbourne\/press_release\/laura-de-neefe-appointed-executive-director-acca\/","title":{"rendered":"Laura De Neefe appointed Executive Director, ACCA"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Wednesday 25 February, 2026: Dr Terry Wu, Chair, Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (ACCA) announced today Laura De Neefe appointed as ACCA Executive Director.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Laura De Neefe is an arts leader who has spent over a decade contributing to the visual arts and cultural community of Naarm\/Melbourne. Her leadership is grounded in a deep commitment to artists, team development and workplace culture, access to contemporary art, and equitable cultural institutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Laura joined ACCA\u2019s Executive Team in 2022, working closely with the team and Board on ACCA’s strategic vision, finance and governance, and workplace initiatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Laura brings strong organisational knowledge to the position of Executive Director having commenced at ACCA in 2017. During her time at ACCA, she has worked to strengthen philanthropic support for exhibitions, education and programs, build strategic partnerships, secure significant grants and government funding, enhance ACCA\u2019s inclusion and equity, nurture a supportive workplace and promote ACCA’s activities to diverse audiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Terry said, \u2018Laura brings high-level art leadership and strategic experience to the role of Executive Director. She has extensive and detailed knowledge of ACCA and has been with the organisation since 2017, previously in the role of Director, Development & Engagement. Laura has also led the team as Acting Executive Director in 2022. We are delighted to welcome back Laura as the Executive Director, and look forward to working with Laura and CEO and Artistic Director Myles Russell-Cook to champion ACCA\u2019s role as the nation\u2019s premier contemporary art commissioning organisation.\u2019 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018ACCA is an organisation very close to my heart,\u2019 Laura said, \u2018I am excited to take on this new position and work closely with Myles and with our outstanding team and Board to further ACCA\u2019s leadership in the contemporary arts ecology, with artists at the centre of our vision.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Laura commenced in the role of Executive Director in January 2026 following parental leave in 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Laura De Neefe completes ACCA\u2019s executive leadership team <\/strong>joining CEO and Artistic Director Myles Russell-Cook<\/strong>, along with ACCA Chair Dr Terry Wu<\/strong> and Board members Lisa Bowman, Maree Clarke, Elisa Clements, Charlotte Day, Lisa Fox, Patricia Piccinini,<\/strong> Sarah Lynn Rees, Dr Theresia Spencer<\/strong>, Gordon Thomson<\/strong> and John Tuck<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Australian Centre for Contemporary Art <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

111 Sturt Street, Southbank VIC 3006 <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Melbourne, Australia<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Opening hours: Tuesday \u2013 Friday 10am\u20135pm, Weekends 11am\u20135pm<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Free entry<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

acca.melbourne<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#ACCAMelbourne<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For further media information:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bridget Thompson<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marketing & Digital Engagement Manager<\/p>\n\n\n\n

pr.marketing@acca.melbourne<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

ACCA acknowledges the Wurundjeri Woiwurrung people as sovereign custodians of the land on which we work and welcome visitors, along with the neighbouring Boonwurrung, Bunurong, and wider Kulin Nation. We acknowledge their longstanding and continuing care for Country and we recognise First Peoples art and cultural practice has been thriving here for millennia. We extend our respect to ancestors and Elders past and present, and to all First Nations people<\/strong>
<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Wednesday 25 February, 2026: Dr Terry Wu, Chair, Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (ACCA) announced today Laura De Neefe appointed as ACCA Executive Director. Laura De Neefe is an arts leader who has spent over a decade contributing to the visual arts and cultural community of Naarm\/Melbourne. Her leadership is grounded in a deep commitment […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","class_list":["post-54222","press_release","type-press_release","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/acca.melbourne\/api\/wp\/v2\/press_release\/54222","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/acca.melbourne\/api\/wp\/v2\/press_release"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/acca.melbourne\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/press_release"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/acca.melbourne\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54222"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":54000,"date":"2026-01-29T16:30:48","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T05:30:48","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2026-01-29T16:30:49","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T05:30:49","slug":"maree-clarke-lisa-bowman-and-elisa-clements-join-the-acca-board","status":"publish","type":"press_release","link":"https:\/\/acca.melbourne\/press_release\/maree-clarke-lisa-bowman-and-elisa-clements-join-the-acca-board\/","title":{"rendered":"Maree<\/strong> Clarke<\/strong>, Lisa Bowman and Elisa Clements join the ACCA Board"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Thursday 29 January: <\/strong>Dr Terry Wu, Chair of the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, today announced the appointment of artist ***Maree^^^ ***Clarke<\/strong>^^^, communications and governance specialist Lisa Bowman<\/strong>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Thursday 29 January: Dr Terry Wu, Chair of the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, today announced the appointment of artist ***Maree^^^ ***Clarke^^^, communications and governance specialist Lisa Bowman<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","class_list":["post-54000","press_release","type-press_release","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/acca.melbourne\/api\/wp\/v2\/press_release\/54000","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/acca.melbourne\/api\/wp\/v2\/press_release"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/acca.melbourne\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/press_release"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/acca.melbourne\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54000"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":52946,"date":"2025-08-27T16:48:52","date_gmt":"2025-08-27T06:48:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/acca.melbourne\/?post_type=press_release&p=52946"},"modified":"2025-08-27T16:48:53","modified_gmt":"2025-08-27T06:48:53","slug":"patricia-piccinini-and-dr-theresia-spencer-join-the-acca-board","status":"publish","type":"press_release","link":"https:\/\/acca.melbourne\/press_release\/patricia-piccinini-and-dr-theresia-spencer-join-the-acca-board\/","title":{"rendered":"Patricia Piccinini and Dr Theresia Spencer\u00a0join the ACCA Board"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Wednesday 27th<\/sup> August, 2025: Dr Terry Wu, Chair of The Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (ACCA) announced today that internationally renowned Australian artist Patricia Piccinini and arts advocate Dr Theresia Spencer have joined the ACCA Board.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Patricia Piccinini is one of Australia\u2019s best-known and globally celebrated artists. Currently Professor of Practice at RMIT University, Patricia represented Australia at the 2003 Venice Biennale, and her work is held in all leading Australian and many international collecting institutions. Most recently, Patricia\u2019s hyper-realist sculptures of surreal hybrid animals and vehicular creatures enthralled visitors to the abandoned ballroom above Melbourne\u2019s Flinders Street Station with the exhibition A Miracle Constantly Repeated.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Patricia has a long history of association with ACCA. Her first major survey exhibition, Retrospectology: The World According to Patricia Piccinini<\/em>, was the second exhibition to be shown in ACCA\u2019s Southbank premises in 2002, and in 2013, her much-loved hot-air balloon Skywhale, commissioned for the Centenary of Canberra, was tethered to the ACCA Forecort. \u2018ACCA is an incredibly important space in Melbourne\u2019s contemporary art scene, and I feel honoured to be able to contribute in any way I can,\u2019 Patricia said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Dr Theresia Spencer is a Melbourne-based arts philanthropist, deeply committed to supporting cultural institutions and artistic practice, and an Australian Ambassador for the Venice Biennale. She holds a Doctor of Clinical Dentistry degree (Orthodontics) and is a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and the Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons. Theresia is a spokesperson for the Australian Society of Orthodontists and is an international lecturer for Invisalign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I am excited to work with Terry and the ACCA Board to help ACCA continue to provide such a vital platform and forum for emerging and established artists, and a space where they have the freedom to take risks, such that audiences have the opportunity to be challenged, surprised and inspired,\u2019 Theresia said.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Terry said, \u2018Patricia and Theresia bring diverse expertise to the ACCA Board. Patricia\u2019s experience as an artist who has exhibited at major institutions worldwide is unmatched, and her connections and perspective will enrich our work as an institution focused on supporting artists to do their best and boldest work. She has a long history of involvement with ACCA, as both an artist and an audience member, and we are thrilled to welcome her to the Board.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Theresia is a dedicated and passionate arts advocate who supports the arts because she believes in its power to shape communities and to change the way we see the world. I look forward to working closely with Theresia to consolidate support for ACCA and expand ACCA\u2019s delivery across exhibitions and ground-breaking education programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Supporting artists to take risks is at the heart of everything we do, and Theresia and Patricia are invaluable additions to the ACCA Board, joining in a period of renewal and heightened activity, with a vibrant forward program under new Artistic Director and CEO Myles Russell Cook and ambitious plans for ACCA\u2019s future,\u2019 Terry said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Patricia Piccinini and Theresia Spencer join existing ACCA Board members Charlotte Day, Lisa Fox, Sarah Lynn Rees, Andrew Taylor, John Tuck and Gordon Thomson. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Australian Centre for Contemporary Art <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

111 Sturt Street, Southbank VIC 3006 <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Melbourne, Australia<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Opening hours: Tuesday \u2013 Friday 10am\u20135pm, Weekends 11am\u20135pm<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Free entry<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

acca.melbourne<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#accamelbourne #ArtStartsAtACCA #ArtAtTheDeepEnd<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For further media information:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Katrina Hall<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Publicity\/Communications<\/p>\n\n\n\n

0421153046<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ACCA acknowledges the Wurundjeri Woiwurrung people as sovereign custodians of the land on which we work and welcome visitors, along with the neighbouring Boonwurrung, Bunurong, and wider Kulin Nation. We acknowledge their longstanding and continuing care for Country and we recognise First Peoples art and cultural practice has been thriving here for millennia. We extend our respect to ancestors and Elders past and present, and to all First Nations people.<\/strong>
<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Wednesday 27th August, 2025: Dr Terry Wu, Chair of The Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (ACCA) announced today that internationally renowned Australian artist Patricia Piccinini and arts advocate Dr Theresia Spencer have joined the ACCA Board. Patricia Piccinini is one of Australia\u2019s best-known and globally celebrated artists. Currently Professor of Practice at RMIT University, Patricia represented […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","class_list":["post-52946","press_release","type-press_release","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/acca.melbourne\/api\/wp\/v2\/press_release\/52946","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/acca.melbourne\/api\/wp\/v2\/press_release"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/acca.melbourne\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/press_release"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/acca.melbourne\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52946"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":52945,"date":"2025-08-27T16:20:49","date_gmt":"2025-08-27T06:20:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/acca.melbourne\/?post_type=press_release&p=52945"},"modified":"2025-08-27T16:20:50","modified_gmt":"2025-08-27T06:20:50","slug":"tschabalala-self-skin-tight","status":"publish","type":"press_release","link":"https:\/\/acca.melbourne\/press_release\/tschabalala-self-skin-tight\/","title":{"rendered":"Tschabalala Self: Skin tight"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the most-in-demand figurative painters working today, Tschabalala Self\u2019s distinctive style combines fabric, collage and painting with innovative printing techniques and a steadfast focus on beauty as a form of artistic resistance.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ACCA is pleased to present her first Australian solo exhibition from Friday 12 September to Sunday 23 November.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With new and recent large-scale paintings, works on paper and an immersive 3-channel video installation,\u00a0Skin Tight<\/em>\u202fintroduces Australian audiences to a practice celebrated for its beauty and sophistication. Born in 1990 in Harlem, New York,\u00a0Tschabalala Selfworks out of her studio in the picturesque Hudson Valley.\u00a0<\/s>Her work is inspired by her ancestral and familial ties to New Orleans and is infused with a vibrancy drawn from the Harlem Renaissance, as well as jazz, dance, and performance. Self channels these energies into profound reflections on Black embodiment and experience. \u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For her exhibition at ACCA, Self has designed a series of contemplative, psychologically charged immersive spaces, filled with striking 2D and 3D works. The exuberant characters that populate\u202fSkin Tight<\/em>\u202fpush audiences to consider how we construct our identities \u2013 and how we both perceive and are perceived by the world around us. Self\u2019s figures are not representative of any singular individual, rather, they are collages of various people and references from throughout her life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through cut-outs, sightlines and wall drawings, Self has created an immersive exhibition experience \u2013 one where audiences are encouraged to feel part of the installation. Inside her fantastic worlds, we become active participants in the work, reflecting on themes of exhibitionism, voyeurism, myth making, and identity. By harnessing a multitude of references and media, Self explores the psychological, emotional, spiritual and sexual dimensions of being alive, and continually challenges our perceptions of identity.\u202fSkin Tight<\/em>\u202fspeaks to both the limitations and\u202ffreedom of embodiment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ACCA Artistic Director and CEO Myles Russell-Cook<\/strong> said the exhibition showcases Self\u2019s unique approach to portraiture and figuration in a fresh cultural context. \u201cTschabalala\u2019s work is an act of self-revelation\u2014one that challenges narrow definitions imposed on bodies, expanding them to encompass the fullness of the human spirit. Her figures occupy a space between representation and transcendence, constantly evolving and never static. Through this, her work offers a transformative vision of our shared humanity, pushing beyond the constraints of persecution to reveal the depths of human potential.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 
Tschabalala Self (b. 1990, Harlem, USA) lives and works in Hudson Valley, New York.\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tschabalala Self has shown at major institutions, globally, including Longlati Foundation, Shanghai; Espoo Museum of Modern Art, Espoo; High Line, New York; Brooklyn Museum, New York; FLAG Foundation, New York; Barbican, London; CC Strombeek, Grimbergen, Belgium; Desert X, Coachella Valley; Kunstmuseum St Gallen; Le Consortium, Dijon; Performa 2021 Biennial, New York; Haus der Kunst, Munich; Kunsthalle D\u00fcsseldorf; Baltimore Museum of Art; ICA Boston; Studio Museum Artists in Residence, MoMA PS1, New York; Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; Frye Art Museum, Seattle, among many others. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tschabalala Self: Skin Tight<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fri 12 Sep 2025\u2013Sun 23 Nov 2025 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Curated by:<\/strong>\u202fDr Shelley McSpedden & Myles Russell-Cook <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ACCA warmly thanks Visionary Supporters, Drs Theresia and Kevin Spencer, and Principal Partner, Pilar Corrias, for their generous support of this exhibition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Australian Centre for Contemporary Art\u202f<\/strong>\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n

111 Sturt Street, Southbank VIC 3006\u202f<\/strong>\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Melbourne, Australia<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Opening hours: Tuesday \u2013 Friday 10am\u20135pm, Weekends 11am\u20135pm, Free entry<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

acca.melbourne<\/strong><\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#ACCAMelbourne  #ACCASkinTight<\/u><\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For further media information:\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u202f\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Katrina Hall\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Publicity\/Communications\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n

0421153046\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u202f\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ACCA proudly acknowledges the Wurundjeri Woiwurrung peoples as the sovereign custodians of the lands and waterways on which we work and welcome visitors, along with the neighbouring Boonwurrung, and Bunurong peoples, and wider Kulin Nation. We acknowledge the enduring custodianship of Country that has shaped what we now recognise as Australia. We also honour the artistic work of First Peoples, including their art, design, and material culture, which we celebrate as the only art that is entirely unique to this continent.  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One of the most-in-demand figurative painters working today, Tschabalala Self\u2019s distinctive style combines fabric, collage and painting with innovative printing techniques and a steadfast focus on beauty as a form of artistic resistance.  ACCA is pleased to present her first Australian solo exhibition from Friday 12 September to Sunday 23 November.  With new and recent […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","class_list":["post-52945","press_release","type-press_release","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/acca.melbourne\/api\/wp\/v2\/press_release\/52945","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/acca.melbourne\/api\/wp\/v2\/press_release"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/acca.melbourne\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/press_release"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/acca.melbourne\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52945"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":52400,"date":"2025-06-25T13:22:42","date_gmt":"2025-06-25T03:22:42","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2025-06-25T13:24:03","modified_gmt":"2025-06-25T03:24:03","slug":"five-acts-of-love","status":"publish","type":"press_release","link":"https:\/\/acca.melbourne\/press_release\/five-acts-of-love\/","title":{"rendered":"Five Acts of Love"},"content":{"rendered":" that increases body-mind focus \u2013 a reminder of God and unity with the divine.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n