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It's a long title, but an apt one. Dreaming myself into a future that was worth living is the name of the new exhibition at Warrnambool Art Gallery – and it sets the tone of what to expect. Bringing together three acclaimed artists – Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley, Gordon Bennett and Shaun Gladwell – it explores a big question: what does a future worth living for actually look like?
Opening on November 14 and running until April 18, 2027, the exhibition features British artist and game designer Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley who is joined by Australian contemporary art pioneers Gordon Bennett and Shaun Gladwell.
Inspired by a phrase from writer and activist Morgan M. Page, the exhibition explores how power, politics, technology and history shape our lives, our bodies and the futures we imagine.
Brathwaite-Shirley is known for using video games, animation, performance and sound to tell stories that centre Black trans lives. Their paintings, including several new works, will help transform the gallery into an immersive space for visitors to engage with challenging ideas.
Bennett (1955–2014) challenged Australia’s colonial history and its impact on national identity, questioning racial stereotypes and categorisations through powerful works that explored the post-colonial experience. He often adopted the persona of ‘John Citizen’ to challenge ideas about identity and the politics of representation in Australian art.
Gladwell, meanwhile, works across video, virtual reality, sculpture and performance. His work Passing Electrical Storms uses virtual reality to explore the experience of death and the transition into the cosmos.
Curated by Warrnambool Art Gallery director Aaron Bradbrook, the exhibition challenges the idea that galleries are neutral, protective spaces. Instead, he hopes to create an “anti-sanctuary” where visitors can engage respectfully with difficult and sometimes uncomfortable ideas.
Rather than offering easy answers, the exhibition invites audiences to reflect on mortality, question the world around them and consider what a future worth living might look like.
Dreaming myself into a future that was worth living is on at Warrnambool Art Gallery from November 14, 2026 to April 18, 2027. Admission to the exhibition is by donation. Find out more here.
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