Arts & Cultural Exchange proudly announces the launch of a limited-edition silk scarf designed by ACE alumna, rising contemporary art star, Gillian Kayrooz, to mark its milestone 40th birthday.
Since 1984, ACE has been a beacon of creativity and social change, working alongside diverse communities in the Western Sydney region to create ground-breaking interdisciplinary projects. As a testament to this legacy, ACE partnered with artist Gillian Kayrooz, whose work epitomises the richness of the region’s cultural offerings.
The scarf, featuring images from her acclaimed series Argileh at Wedding Cake Rock (2020), celebrates female friendship and social gatherings in the suburbs. This wearable artwork is an endearing tribute to ACE’s mission of creativity and collaboration.
ACE Executive Director Anne Loxley, who invited Gillian to design the celebratory work, commented: “Gill was the first artist whose studio I visited when I started at ACE in 2020. As powerful as it is poetic, Gill’s work is a nuanced meditation on identity and place, grounded in her relationships with the communities and physical contexts of Western Sydney”.
Gillian, whose artistic journey began on Dharug land in Guildford, brings the spirit of her community into her work. After graduating with First Class Honours from Sydney College of the Arts (2018), she earned the Create NSW Young Creative Leaders Fellowship, showcasing her art across the Asia-Pacific and leading to international residencies in China and Japan.
In 2024, Gillian received the Create NSW x Artspace Fellowship, which will see her mentored by two prominent contemporary artists with deep ties to the region, Khaled Sabsabi and Joanne Saad, and will travel to undertake research and development at the 2025 Sharjah Biennale in the UAE, continuing her commitment to connecting global and Western Sydney narratives.
Gillian’s relationship with ACE in 2017 when she joined All Girl Electronic, followed by projects like the New Age Noise Collective (2019), 100% West (2020), Barbershop (2021-22) and the Exchange Project & Party (2022-23).
She commented on her time with ACE: “Through the All Girl Electronic and New Age Noise programs, I found peers who shared similar experiences as young women growing up in Western Sydney. Since then, I’ve built a deep, lasting connection with ACE, forming lifelong friendships and working on inspiring projects that have helped me grow not just as an artist, but as a community worker, producer, and creative leader.”
This collaboration with Gillian Kayrooz encapsulates the essence of ACE’s legacy—building bridges between art, culture, and community. The 40th-anniversary mark is both a celebration of the organisation’s achievements and a reaffirmation of its mission to nurture creativity, amplify diverse voices, and create lasting social impact in Western Sydney’s communities.
The ACE x Gillian Kayrooz limited edition silk scarf retails for $180 and is available to purchase at: aceinc.org.au/donate/celebrating-40-years-of-ace
ABOUT ACE
Established in 1984, Arts & Cultural Exchange is a Western Sydney-based community arts organisation with five program pillars: First Nations, Youth Engagement, Multicultural Women, Artists with Disability and People in Aged Care, and Screen. We have a longstanding reputation for three things: we are committed to social justice, we use creativity to reverse disadvantage and we produce ground-breaking interdisciplinary, intergenerational collaborative projects co-devised with the communities with whom we work.
ACE’s hard-won funding comes through grants from government departments and foundations, venue and equipment hire and donations. ACE is an ACNC-registered charity with Deductible Gift Recipient status. Any donation over $2.00 is tax deductible. By supporting ACE, you are investing in the creative empowerment and sustainability of some of Western Sydney’s most under-represented communities.
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