James Powditch

Upcoming: EMPIRE FALL

24 July — 9 August 2025

Exhibition opening
Thursday, 24 July,
6 to 8pm

12 - 14 Meagher Street Chippendale, NSW 2008

Gallery Hours:
9am - 5pm Monday to Friday 11am - 4pm Saturday

Lives and works in Sydney

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Represented by nanda\hobbs

Opens: Thursday, 24 July from 6 - 8pm
On show: 24 July - 9 August

Begun in the shadow of the 2024 US elections, Empire Fall brings together 27 richly layered mixed media works, exploring the cyclical rise and ruin of global empires both past and present. Each work is a meditation on the power structures that shape our world, tracing lines from the ancient empires of expansion, alliance and conquest, through to today’s fractured democracies.

From discovery and dispossession, through to new empires in the age of information, each work tells a story of inevitable decay and collapse: of hubris followed by humiliation, and Faustian pacts stamped and signed by those who believed their empire would never fall.

Known for his cinematic visual language and deft use of salvaged materials, Powditch constructs complex, narrative-rich compositions that echo propaganda, movie posters, and political commentary in equal measure. These new works are as much historical archaeology as they are urgent contemporary warning.

With a career spanning nearly three decades, James Powditch has held 22 solo exhibitions and is a regular finalist in Australia's most prestigious art prizes. He has been selected nine times for the Archibald Prize and twelve times for the Wynne Prize, with recent portraits of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Laura Tingle, and Kerry O’Brien drawing national acclaim.

\ Exhibition featured works

James Powditch

Great Britain (Trafalgar)

2025 \ Mixed media \ 92 x 62cm

\ Other exhibitions

Caroline Zilinsky

MIRROR MIRROR

26 June — 19 July 2025

Floria Tosca

MY LITTORAL ZONE

26 June — 19 July 2025

Jorna Newberry

RETURN TO COUNTRY

28 May — 21 June 2025

Contact Us

to find out more about Upcoming: EMPIRE FALL.

12 - 14 Meagher Street Chippendale, NSW 2008
Opening Hours
Monday to Friday, 9am - 5pm Saturday, 11am - 4pm Easter 2025: The gallery will closed from 18 - 21 April Closed Public Holidays (and Easter Saturday)