Dave Court announced as the 2026 recipient of The Guildhouse Fellowship
Guildhouse, the Art Gallery of South Australia (AGSA) and the James & Diana Ramsay Foundation are proud to announce Dave Court as the recipient of the 2026 Guildhouse Fellowship, one of the most significant opportunities for mid-career visual artists in Australia.
Dave Court is a multidisciplinary artist whose practice spans painting, sculpture and installation, from large-scale public artworks to immersive cross-media environments. Characterised by bold, painterly gestures and abstraction, his work moves fluidly across the corporeal and the virtual, creating interactive, time-based and participatory experiences that invite audiences into dynamic, shared encounters.
Now in its seventh year, the enhanced Guildhouse Fellowship is delivered across 18- months, creating an extraordinary opportunity for an artist to extend their practice, grow industry recognition and expand professional horizons. The payment of superannuation has become a national benchmark for direct support for artists.
Dave Court will receive a $50,000 artist fee plus superannuation, funds for professional, legacy documentation and dedicated support from AGSA’s curatorial team to present the outcomes of his Fellowship with audiences at the Art Gallery of South Australia.
For Dave Court, this moment marks more than recognition; it signals a turning point.
“I am extremely excited and grateful to receive this opportunity. It is an honour and a privilege to be supported at this kind of scale by Guildhouse and AGSA. I’m looking forward to diving deep into new work, to learning, making and discovering where this journey will lead.”
“For an artist like myself, this will have a huge impact; it’s a pivotal shift for my practice and career. Not only the financial support, but the access and endorsement that comes with this Fellowship is something I fully appreciate.”
From an extremely competitive field, Court was selected by a panel comprising internationally renowned Australian contemporary artist Fiona Hall AO, Art Gallery of South Australia Director, Jason Smith and Guildhouse Chief Executive, Beth Neate.
Guildhouse Chief Executive Beth Neate says:
“The Guildhouse Fellowship provides artists with the time, resources and institutional partnership to pursue their most ambitious ideas. As a panel, we were highly impressed by Dave Court’s sophisticated approach to the Fellowship and his willingness to pursue experimentation and risk-taking, underpinned by a deep engagement with theory. Dave Court’s selection, among an extremely competitive field of South Australian artists, is acknowledgement both of the depth of artistic talent in our State and the vital importance of this opportunity for mid-career artists.”
Art Gallery of South Australia Director Jason Smith says:
“We are delighted to support Dave Court as the 2026 Guildhouse Fellow. This Fellowship fosters artistic excellence and enables artists to undertake rigorous research and experimentation. We look forward to working with Dave as his ideas develop toward a presentation at AGSA.”
Kerry de Lorme of the James & Diana Ramsay Foundation adds:
“The Foundation is immensely proud to support the Guildhouse Fellowship and the artists who have received this transformative opportunity. Enabling artists to build lasting careers and to create inspiring work that is enjoyed by South Australians sits at the heart of the Foundation’s purpose. Dave Court’s selection reflects both the strength of his practice to date and the potential for significant growth.”
Over the coming Fellowship period (May 2026 – October 2027), Dave Court will work closely with Guildhouse and AGSA staff to research and develop new work, culminating in a presentation at the Art Gallery of South Australia in late 2027.
The Guildhouse Fellowship is generously supported by the James & Diana Ramsay Foundation and is presented in partnership with the Art Gallery of South Australia (AGSA). The program is delivered by Guildhouse and presented by AGSA.
Dave Court is a visual artist living on Kaurna Country in Adelaide, Australia, working across painting, sculpture and installation. His practice ranges from large-scale public art to cross-media projects.
Characterised by bold, painterly gestures and abstraction, Dave’s artwork straddles traditional boundaries between the corporeal and virtual through interactive and immersive environments, events and installations.
Process-oriented, collaborative and experimental, Dave’s activities encompass art direction and curation for exhibitions and festivals, clothing design, retail, art spaces and print media.
Central to his practice is an exploration of how social structures and systems are shaped by evolving technologies, and a commitment to the radical possibilities of shared experience.
He has a degree in Visual Arts (Hons) from The University of South Australia.
Dave’s projects have received support through CreateSA, Creative Australia, City of Adelaide, Adelaide Festival and the Helpmann Academy.
He is founder and director of Washdog Studios, a shared artist studio warehouse in Kent Town, providing studio space and professional opportunities for twelve independent artists and their extended networks.
Recent international engagements include presenting at Eyemyth Media Arts Festival, Delhi (2026), residency with Unbox Labs Goa (2026), visuals operation for Ninajirachi UK tour (2026), speaking at Advanced Imaging International Festival at Chung Ang University, South Korea, (2025) exchange residency with Sungyungkwan University, South Korea (2025), academic in residence at City University New York (2024).
Recent commissions include Digital, Physical, Textural, a moving image installation for Itaewon Art Week, Seoul (2024), Mischievous Messengers, a moving image piece for Future Spies at Spyspace Museum, New York City (2023), Hypercolour Miscellaneous Bistro Buffet with The Bait Fridge and SlowMango (2023) and COALESCE, a collaborative EP with Motez (2023), ATM001 AI Vending Machine, an interactive sculpture with James Brown and the Australian Institute for Machine Learning (2023) and Behind the Façade for Illuminate Festival, Adelaide (2022).
Dave sits as a board member and director of Renew Adelaide, a not for profit organisation connecting vacant property with small and creative business ventures. He is currently a part of the artist advisory group for Guildhouse, South Australia’s peak body for visual art, craft and design; and has recently been appointed to the executive committee of the Arts Industry Council of South Australia, a non- government not-for-profit acting as an independent voice for the arts in SA.
Images (L-R): Dave Court, EVERYTHING IS COMPUTER V1.0, animation still, live generated projection installation, image courtesy the artist; Dave Court with EVERYTHING IS COMPUTER V1.0, live generated projection installation. Photograph: Morgan Sette.
