THE foyer outside ANU School of Art & Design Gallery has been transformed by printmaker Katy Mutton’s ephemeral artwork, “Conspicious”, turning the normally unprepossessing space with her dazzling colours and shapes. This foyer space exhibition continues until March 1.

INSIDE the gallery entered via the foyer is “Here Now”. It features work of 19 alumni from the ANU School of Art & Design as both practicing artists and arts professionals and their multi-faceted contribution to the Canberra arts community. ANU School of Art & Design Gallery until February 22.

CELEBRATING its 26th year in 2019, the Bald Archy Award exhibition begins in Canberra before it goes on tour throughout eastern Australia. Watson Arts Centre, 1 Aspinall Street, Watson, 10am-4pm, February 8  to March 12. 

BEAVER Galleries have new paintings, prints and sculptures by Dean Bowen, along with studio glass by Alexandra Chambers, Tom Rowney, Mel Douglas, Benjamin Edols an Kathy Elliott. At 81 Denison Street, Deakin, opening 6pm, Thursday, February 7. Everyone is welcome to the opening and then to the exhibition, which runs until February 24.

“GAIA Hypothesis”, curated by Ngaio Fitzpatrick, brings together the work of nine prominent artists working across mediums such as photography, augmented reality, installation and performance. It refers to Dr James Lovelock’s 1960s idea “put forward”, which is about the Earth being a single living organism composed of self-regulating ecosystems. Opening 6pm, Friday, February 8. It then runs at Belconnen Arts Centre until March 17.

ABORIGINAL Dreamings Gallery had opened a new Aboriginal art gallery called Artworld ADG in Canberra’s CBD. It’s presenting an exhibition titled “Dreaming Sites: Papunya Tula Artists”, which features original paintings by Papunya Tula Artists drawn from the gallery’s art collection. Artworld ADG corner London Circuit and Gordon Street, Civic, Tuesday to Friday, 11am-6pm, and Monday by appointment.

M16 Artspace has four new exhibitions: “Interchange” is a group exhibition featuring members of both Ausglass and the New Zealand Society of Artists in Glass; “Wash/Backwash” has ceramic works, video and text by Jacqui Malins; “Softly” shows in waxed threads and hand-spun wool by Ruby Berry, and, in Chutespace there’s work by Rebecca Selleck. Opening at 21 Blaxland Crescent, Griffith, 6pm, Thursday, February 7. It then runs until February 24, Wednesday to Sunday noon-5pm.

ROWENA Boyd’s “Waves of Honey” and “Other People’s Houses” is a body of abstract, encaustic paintings crafted through a process of accreting thousands of brush-strokes of thin, colourful molten beeswax upon a support. ANCA Gallery, 1 Rosevear Place, Dickson, until  February 24.