Kris Ancog
Yearning to Breathe Free
Opening Night
Thursday, 15 October 2026 | 5:30–7:45pm
Aarwun Gallery
Shop 11, Federation Square
O’Hanlon Place, Nicholls ACT
Opening Night — An Evening of Art, Music & Light
Aarwun Gallery is delighted to present Yearning to Breathe Free, a new solo exhibition by artist Kris Ancog.
Join us for a very special opening evening and be among the first to experience this extraordinary new body of work before the exhibition opens to the wider public.
For one evening, the gallery will be transformed into an intimate and atmospheric celebration of art, music, light, wine and conversation.
Your Opening Night Experience
First access to the exhibition, with the opportunity to view and acquire artworks before the public opening
Meet Kris Ancog and hear directly from the artist about the inspiration and stories behind the work
Live cello performances by Rachel Johnston and Ben Monro, creating a beautiful musical atmosphere throughout the evening
An immersive candle installation, illuminating the gallery and artworks
Brindabella Hills Art Edition Riesling & Shiraz
A selection of canapés served throughout the evening
An intimate opportunity to meet fellow art lovers, connect and experience the exhibition together
Dress Code: Semi-Formal
White attire is warmly encouraged.
Opening Night Details
Thursday, 15 October 2026
5:30–7:45pm
Aarwun Gallery
Shop 11, Federation Square
O’Hanlon Place, Nicholls ACT
Places are limited.
Yearning to Breathe Free
Kris Ancog — Solo Exhibition
Borrowing its title from Emma Lazarus' celebrated poem The New Colossus, Yearning to Breathe Free is a meditation on displacement, resilience, and the universal search for belonging. Inspired by the experiences of refugees journeying toward safety and rebuilding their lives in unfamiliar lands, these paintings extend beyond a single narrative to reflect the life-changing moments we all encounter—times that demand courage, hope, and the strength to begin again.
Drawing upon the compositional harmony and restrained palettes of Renaissance and Rococo painting, these works transform the visual language of the classical tradition into a contemporary form of abstraction. Viewed up close, the paintings dissolve into expressive brushstrokes, colour, and light with little suggestion of recognisable forms. Yet from a distance, they gradually reveal scenes that seem to emerge from memory, inviting viewers into an experience of discovery rather than immediate recognition.
This shifting relationship between abstraction and representation mirrors the uncertainty of displacement itself, where identity, place, and belonging are continually redefined. Rather than illustrating specific stories, the paintings evoke emotional landscapes of departure, perseverance, and renewal.
Light remains the unifying force throughout the exhibition. Emerging from passages of layered abstraction and apparent chaos, it becomes a quiet metaphor for resilience—offering hope without denying struggle, and redemption without sentimentality.
Ultimately, Yearning to Breathe Free invites viewers to reflect on the many forms of migration that shape our lives, whether geographical, emotional, or spiritual. In dissolving certainty into luminous abstraction, these paintings celebrate the enduring human capacity to persevere, to adapt, and to find home once more.
Join Us
We invite you to experience Yearning to Breathe Free in person and discover Kris Ancog’s newest body of work.
Whether encountered from a distance or through the expressive detail of each brushstroke, these paintings invite us to pause, look again and consider the universal desire to belong, to find safety, and ultimately, to find home.
We look forward to welcoming you to Aarwun Gallery.