Plus 1

Opening 5–7pm, Thursday 15 May 

There’s an inherent challenge to bringing a plus-one to events. Whether it’s a wedding, party, or formal dinner, the act of introducing someone to your personal or creative sphere can feel exciting, strangely intimate, or occasionally awkward. Sometimes the plus-one blends in effortlessly; other times, they’re an amusingly misplaced puzzle piece. Either way, the choice often reveals more about the host than the guest—highlighting tastes, friendships, aspirations, or even quiet anxieties.

'Plus 1' takes this social phenomenon and applies it to exhibition-making. Each gallery artist was invited to bring along someone else—another artist they admire, have long wanted to work with, or feel a creative connection to. Some of the pairings are surprising; others feel inevitable. The show explores the dynamics between practices, revealing how different approaches, materials, and ideas can align—or usefully collide.

With over 30 artists across 17 collaborative duos, 'Plus 1' is one of the most ambitious shows the gallery has presented. It’s exuberant, overflowing, and joyfully messy in the best possible way. Expect unexpected intersections, visual tension, and moments of both harmony and playful dissonance. The result is a generous and high-energy celebration of connection.

To help navigate this lively assembly, The Dowse Art Museum's Curator, Milly Mitchell-Anyon, steps in as the gallery’s own “plus-one.” Her curatorial perspective brings cohesion to the diverse array of works, ensuring that the exhibition not only celebrates individual collaborations but also resonates as a unified, albeit delightfully unruly, whole.

The contributions span a wide range of disciplines—from fashion to painting, ceramics to jewellery—and are united by shared interests such as language politics, personal histories, and reinterpretations of cultural imagery. Many of the artist relationships are grounded in friendship, mentorship, or mutual respect, underscoring the importance of community in creative life.

Together, these pairings offer a snapshot of contemporary art as a social act: bold, responsive, and deeply invested in making space for others.

Artists included in the exhibition are:
Alan Ibell + Esther Deans
Ann Shelton + Kirsty Lillico
Caitlin Devoy + Nat Tozer
Caroline McQuarrie + Marci Tackett
Claudia Kogachi + Emma Jing
Denys Watkins + Garth Steeper
Elisabeth Pointon + Deborah Rundle
Emily Hartley-Skudder + Georgina May Young
Erica van Zon + Kate Woods
Hannah Ireland + Reece King
Harry Culy + Michael Mahne Lamb
Jaime Jenkins + Karl Fritsch
Kāryn Taylor + Maddy Rose Hansen
Kereama Taepa + Nikau Hindon
Priscilla Rose Howe + Casey James Latimer
Ruby Wilkinson + Rose Pickernell
Tyne Gordon + Sam Norton

Curatorial Plus 1
Milly Mitchell-Anyon (Curator at The Dowse Art Museum)