Ace Hotel Sydney/ Luke George, Shan Turner-Carroll, Peter Waples-Crowe, Amy Claire Mills/ Ace Hotel - Artist In Residence/
Currently in residence May 2025: Amy Claire Mills
Embellish is the joyful, slightly chaotic outcome of Amy’s time spent as artist-in-residence at Ace Hotel Sydney. The exhibition is a soft, sparkly ode to indulgence, play, and everyday extravagance.
During the residency, Amy found herself drawn to the textures, rituals, and aesthetics of shared spaces: hotel lobbies, restaurant tables, cozy lounges, the way people gather, snack, celebrate, and create chaos. Amy began making plush sculptures inspired by the Loam and Good Chemistry menus. The sculptures are squishy, oversized and made from deliciously rich fabrics – moments of soft connection to the space.
Suspended around the gallery are hand-embellished crystal beads. Objects that shimmer, reflect and refract light, unapologetically decorative and deliberately ornamental. They serve no functional purpose other than to delight.
The exhibition invites people to slow down, touch things, rearrange the space, and enjoy the unnecessary. It asks, what if playfulness was the point? What if we let ourselves embellish, not just our surroundings, but the way we move through them?
Note: Audience members are invited to touch the plush sculptures gently. They are handmade textile sculptures and need to be held with respect. Do not remove artworks that are fixed to the walls.
Amy Claire Mills is a visual artist, curator, and producer based in Gadigal/Sydney. Amy delves into advocacy, identity, and resistance in her art practice. She explores disability culture and the neurodiversity paradigm, embodying both the artist and subject. Her artworks serve as a form of protest, introducing new vocabularies such as softness, tactility, empathy, and care.
Since graduating with a Fine Arts Degree from UNSW’s School of Art and Design, Amy has collaborated with various art organisations, galleries, and national institutions. Focusing on curating and producing exhibitions and events that hold authentic representation and access across the arts and cultural sector at their core. This year, Amy will present new work as part of the Liverpool Biennial, the UK’s largest festival of contemporary visual art.
Exhibition Closing: TBC
Location: Ace Hotel Sydney 47-53 Wentworth Ave, Sydney, NSW, 2000.
Accessible Entry via Foy Lane.
ACE HOTEL 2024/2025 ARTIST IN RESIDENCE PROGRAM
In partnership with Ace Hotel Sydney The Substation presents Shan Turner Carroll, Luke George, Peter Waples Crowe, and Amy Claire Mills for the 2024 - 2025 Ace Hotel Artists in Residence (AIR) program.
Curators for the coming year include Byline, Friends with Benefits (FWB) in partnership with Superchief Gallery, Powerhouse Arts, Commune Gallery and The Substation
(New York, NY - August 7, 2024) This summer, Ace will welcome a new set of artists and curatorial partners to participate in the 2024/2025 AIR program at its hotels internationally. Having hosted close to 400 artists over the past decade, the Ace AIR program continues to provide both emerging and established artists space to create and exhibit new works. In the past year, Ace has proudly been a momentary home to a diverse array of artists who have produced an eclectic mix of work — dance and movement performances in Palm Springs, ceramic and wax sculptures in Brooklyn, fashion shows in New Orleans and original textiles created in Toronto.
This year’s program will continue to support the rich tradition of artistic innovation and expression across a range of mediums, with the new slate of residencies commencing in August and running on a quarterly basis. Each participating artist selected by Ace and their curatorial partners will complete a month-long working stay at an Ace Hotel, culminating in an exhibition of their new works. For the 2024/2025 program, Ace’s curatorial partners include Byline in Brooklyn; commune Gallery in Kyoto; Powerhouse Arts in New York; The Substation in Sydney; and FWB in partnership with Superchief Gallery in Palm Springs. Working in tandem with Ace, these like-minded partners will co-curate the participating artists and exhibitions at each property.
Two curatorial partners will be running an open call for one residency slot during their year of curation. Byline (Ace Hotel Brooklyn) and FWB (Ace Hotel Palm Springs) will share details on how to apply via their respective platforms.
For more information on AIR, please visit www.acehotel.com/artist-in-residence/.
