Slow Read

Presented by Melbourne Writers Festival and City of Boroondara, the 'Slow Read' exhibition is open until Saturday 25 July 2026 in the Town Hall Gallery at Hawthorn Arts Centre. 

Opening Hours:
Monday to Friday: 9am to 5pm 
Saturday: 12pm to 4pm
Sunday: Closed

Venue:
Town Hall Gallery
Hawthorn Arts Centre
360 Burwood Road, Hawthorn

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In an era of constant scrolling and visual saturation, ‘Slow Read’ turns our attention back to the printed page and to quiet, deliberate acts of looking and reading. The featured artists are all drawn to printed matter, creating artist books and multi-disciplinary artworks that explore the possibilities of the book format. Within this exhibition, artist-led publishing is recognised as a rich creative practice and an art form in its own right.

By engaging with the universally familiar features of the book format, artists can experiment within or outside of its defined conventions. Unique approaches to sequence, structure and design informs the pace and duration of the reading journey, while the interplay of text and image suggests evocative textures, prompting an imaginative experience that may unfold differently on each encounter.

Many of the featured artworks have been created with source materials from the artists’ own extensive personal collections, where subject and thematic focused text and imagery have been lifted from culture magazines, art history books, archives and more. The extracted fragments are recontextualised through collage and assemblage, inviting us to slow down and engage with these works – allowing our imaginations to wander through poetic new combinations and sometimes unexpected pairings.

Featuring: Jacky Cheng, Zoë Croggon, Julie Gough, Gracia&Louise, Nadia Hernández, Deborah Kelly, Martin King, David Noonan and Jayda Wilson.

Presented in partnership with City of Boroondara.