Will Foster is an artist and curator based in Melbourne. His projects have taken form as temporary public artworks, large scale messages, investigative social spaces, exhibitions, research networks and socially-engaged pedagogical programs existing in both urban and rural environments.
Will has carried out major artistic and curatorial projects in galleries and public spaces in Glasgow, Berlin, Istanbul, Norway and Melbourne. He has undertaken residencies including Cove Park Artists’ Residency, Scotland (2005 and 2006), Basecamp, Intercult in Stockholm (2011) and Scottish Sculpture Workshop (2006). He is the recipient of grants from the European Cultural Fund (2012), Arts Network Asia (2012), Arts and Humanities Research Council, UK (2008-9), and Goethe Institute Curator’s Research Grant (2011).
Will is the founder and co-director of the Wasteland Twinning Network, Cabin Exchange and A Centre for Everything. As Visual Arts Program Manager at The Substation, Newport, Melbourne Will has curated various exhibitions of local and international artists including Trilogies (2015), Vantage Point (2013), Merchant City (2014), SUB12 (2013 and 2014), and Future Now (2013 and 2014) and The Substation Contemporary Art Prize (2013). He was Associate Producer at Next Wave 2017 to 2018.
Will completed a BA in Environmental Art & Sculpture at the Glasgow School of Art (2004) and an MA in Arts & Ecology at Dartington College of Arts (2009).
POSTIONS / COMMITTEES
2018-2019
Climarte Poster Project, Pubic art project, (Curator)
2017-2020
City of Yarra (Visual Arts panel member)
2017-2018
Next Wave, Melbourne (Associate Producer)
2012 –
A Centre for Everything, Melbourne (co-director)
2016 – 2020
City of Melbourne (External assessment panel member)
2013 – 2015
The Substation, Melbourne (Visual Arts Program Manager and Curator)
2011- 2012
Gallery technician and Art handler – Galerie Johann König, Mitte, Berlin
2010 – 2012
Wasteland Twinning Network, Pubic art project, Berlin (founder and co-director)
2008 – 2009
Gallery technician and Art handler- Temporäre Kunsthalle, Mitte, Berlin
2004 – 2006
Market Gallery, Glasgow (committee member)
2002- 2006
Cabin Exchange- Public Art Project, Glasgow (founder and co-director)
2019
Shapes of Knowledge (group exhibition), Monash University Museum of Art Climarte Poster Project II, Public art, Testing Grounds and Melbourne suburbs (curator)
2017
ART / POLITICS / ACTION artist-led symposium, A Centre for Everything, Melbourne
Climate Questions for a New Car Park, Public art, Clayton Monash University and Monash University Museum of Art
2016
Visible Hands, Public Art Melbourne Biennial Lab, Melbourne Festival The Display, performance collaboration with Sabrina D’Angelo, Why listern to Animals?, Liquid Architecture at West Space, Melbourne This is Hazel Wood, Climarte poster project, Public art, Melbourne
Cornucopia (group exhibition), Shepparton Art Museum
2015
SHUT DOWN MANUS. CLOSE NAURU. Collaboration with Gabrielle de Veitri and Asha Bee Abraham, Sydney and Canberra
TRILOGIES, Exhibition, The Substation Centre for Art & Culture, Melbourne
2014
SUB 12, Exhibition, The Substation Centre for Art & Culture, Melbourne
Future Now, Exhibition, The Substation Centre for Art & Culture, Melbourne
Merchant City, Exhibition, The Substation Centre for Art & Culture, Melbourne
2013
The Substation Contemporary art Prize, Exhibition, The Substation Centre for Art & Culture, Melbourne
SUB 12, Exhibition, The Substation Centre for Art & Culture, Melbourne
Vantage Point, Exhibition, The Substation Centre for Art & Culture, Melbourne
Palletable, Exhibition, The Substation Centre for Art & Culture, Melbourne
2012
Wasteland Twinning Network Forum, ZKU – Center for Art and Urbanistics, Berlin
The Fallow Games, Wasteland Twinning Network Kreuzberg, Berlin
2011
Three is a cardinal number, XAU Contemporary, Erfurt, Germany
Head As The Seat Of Reason,TÄT, Berlin
2010
SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE, Collaboration with Guyan Porter, Curated by Basak Senova, Akbank, Istanbul
Uendelig varsel (endless forcast),Rørsle, Hardanger, Norway
SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE, Collaboration with Guyan Porter GI, Center for Contemporary Arts
2009
DUPLEX, Lowsalt & Glasgow Sculpture Studios, Glasgow International
Aller Park Open-air Cinema, Aller Park, Dartington Estate, Dartington, Devon
2008
Bluss – Low Carbon Temporary Light, Fykse, Norway
Plotshift – Nomadic Garden design Project, Barselgrad, Norway
2007
Balets Historikk – A History of Bonfires, Barselgrad, Norway
Use – Link Gallery, Functionsuite, Edinburgh
2006
Tug of cabin – Cabin Exchange, Next Wave Festival, Melbourne
Cabin Exchange 2006 – Glasgow International, Dennistoun, Tradeston, Pollokshaws, Glasgow
Big Tub and Rubha Nan Gall – Group Show, An Tobar, Tobermoray, Isle of Mull, Scotland
The Wee Ceilidh Tour – Collaboration with Stewart Murray, Functionsuite, Edinburgh Skills Bank – Functionsuite, Edinburgh
Trident Platter – Cove Park,Argyll and Bute, Scotland
2005
Return. Porta. – Trajectory Book Launch, CCA, Glasgow
Coming Soon & the anti-monument coalition – Holyrood Rd, Edinburgh
SHOP 111 – Presented by SEAM, Glasgow International, 111 Saltmarket
2004
Cabin Exchange 2004 – Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop, Edinburgh
The Nellery, Rennie Macintosh Building, Glasgow
Coming Soon solo – Merchant City, Glasgow
2003
Cabin Exchange 2003 – (Weeklong Event) Hope S, Vinicombe St, Craigmont Dr, Renfrew St, Kingarth St, Glasgow
Just War – Collaboration with Hans Rosenstrom, Helsinki, Finland
2002
Cabin Exchange 2002 – (Weeklong Event) Bath St,Vinicombe St, Bothwell St, Blythswood Sq, Glasgow
GLASGOW WILL YOU MARRY ME? XXX – Charing Cross Footbridge, Glasgow
2019
Artist talk – Next Wave, Abbotsford Convent, Melbourne
hair, Artists in Conversation, Climarte, Testing Grounds, Melbourne
Shapes of Knowledge, lecture, Monash University Art and Design, Melbourne
2016
Artist talk, Visible Hands, Public Art City of Melbourne
Panel discussion, Systems of Solidarity: The urgency of socially engaged practice, Bus Projects
Panel discussion, Keep the Aspidistra Flying, Bus Projects, Melbourne
2015
TRILOGIES, Exhibition, The Substation Centre for Art & Culture, Melbourne
2013
Wasteland Twinning Network, Landscape Architecture and Design, RMIT, Melbourne
2012
Wasteland Twinning Network, Urban Ecologies, Muzeum Sztuki, Lodz, Poland
Wasteland Twinning Network Forum, ZKU – Center for Art and Urbanistics, Berlin
Wasteland Twinning Network, Nottingham Contemporary, England
2011
Wasteland Twinning Network, Basecamp, Intercult Stockholm
Wasteland Twinning Network, Open Platform, Tracingmobility HKW, Berlin
2008
Art practice and the Barselgrad project, lecture,Stavanger Art School, Stavanger
PRAKTIKA– Creating a Critical Context for Socially Engaged Art Practice, Deveron Arts, Huntly, Aberdeenshire
2007
Barselgrad project, lecture, KIT, Art Academy, Trondheim
Art practice, lecture, Alberta Collage of Art & Design, Calgary
2006
Cabin Exchange, Group lecture, Monash University, Melbourne
2005
Extraordinary Everyday, Panel discussion, CCA, Glasgow
Up the Garden path, Group Panel discussion, Networking Artists Networks, BALTIC, Newcastle
2004
Alternative strategies for exhibiting, Group lecture, Organised by a-n, Generator, Dundee
2008-2009
Arts & Ecology, MA, Dartington College of Arts
2001 – 2004
Environmental Art, BA, Glasgow School of Art
Oct 2011
Basecamp, Intercult Stockholm
Oct 2007 – Sept 2008
Barselgrad – Year Long Residency Project, Fykse School, Fykse, Hardanger, Norway
Oct-Nov 2006
Cove Park Artists Residency, – Cove, Argyle & Bute, Scotland
July Sept Oct 2006
Functionsuite – Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Edinburgh
Nov 2005 – May 2006
Partners Residency Scottish Sculpture Workshop – Aberdeanshire, Scotland
Aug-Sept 2005
Cove Park Artists Residency – Cove, Argyle & Bute, Scotland