Known by the artist name Heesco®, Khosnaran Khurelbaatar is a Mongolian-Australian muralist and fine artist. Born in 1979 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, Heesco moved to Australia in 1999. He graduated from the Sydney College of the Arts with a Bachelor of Visual Arts Degree in 2005. Relocating to Melbourne in 2010, he has established himself as one of the leading contemporary mural artists.
In 2020 Heesco was commissioned by the residents of Yarram, Victoria, to create a series of murals to garner visitors into the small town, in a project known as “Heesco Town”, which received national and international media attention, and was awarded “Best Street Art Trail”. Currently there are 25 murals by Heesco in Yarram.
The same year Heesco was commissioned by Her Excellency the Governor of Victoria to create a mural expressing gratitude to the frontline workers during the catastrophic bushfires and the COVID19 pandemic. The Governor subsequently donated the mural to Yarram where it is on permanent display at the Memorial Garden. Heesco is currently Australia’s most prolific silo artist to date, with 5 silos and a water tower to his name. His silo artwork in Karoonda, SA, was recognised as the “Best of the Best” and “Best Mega Mural” in the annual Australian Street Art Awards. Heesco’s Weethalle silo art was featured on limited edition stamps by Australia Post in 2018, which featured first silos painted in each state.
Other notable projects include a mural for World’s 50 Best event in Melbourne; curating a 100m mural for the United Nations in Ulaanbaatar; collaborations with Marvel, Youtube, Puma, Nike, Nikon, NEP Australia, Ground Central Coffee Co (NYC), and Superchief Gallery (NYC).
Heesco’s murals have been featured in National Geographic, Geo Saison (Germany), StuArt Magazine (France), Graffiti and Street Art Around the Globe (Spain), and in numerous local books and magazines. He frequently works with local councils in youth and community development programs, as well as schools and universities, as a mentor and workshop coordinator, as well as pro bono work for various NGOs and charity organisations. Heesco lives and works in Melbourne, Australia.
Hamish Hall is the founder of Archaica Schola, an art space in the Hobart CBD running a range of workshops. Hamish is a leading educator in Tasmania, a portrait artist with an interest in portraiture and the juxtaposition of new and old techniques. Hamish is represented by Penny Contemporary Gallery Hobart and Jimmie Karlsson in Europe You can also find his work on Instagram.
Damien Mitchell is a muralist originally from rural NSW. He has worked internationally for over two decades and has painted and exhibited work in more than 30 countries. He has also provided artwork for the Global Mural Conference, Mi Sangre Foundation, MTV Music Video Awards, Doctors Without Borders, MLB All Star Game, Michelle Obama, among numerous others. His work, often realistic, portrays characters and scenes taken from the world around him.
Jo Chew’s practice explores ideas of vulnerability, loss, hopefulness, and longing, often depicting incomplete, temporary, and nomadic structures. Working across painting, collage, sculpture and assemblage, her work responds to personal experiences, while also highlighting the problematic nature of housing and connection to place in contemporary times.
Her painting Tender won the 2023 Glover Prize, she was also selected as a finalist for the 2022 Churchie Emerging Art Prize, the 2019 Hatched National Graduate Show, and the 2022 Women’s Art Prize Tasmania, where she was awarded the Emerging Artist Prize.
Jo Chew recently completed her PhD at UTAS titled ‘Displacement, repair, and the painted collage’. Alongside her art practice, Jo is a mum to two young adults (and a staffy) and works as a painting teacher at UTAS and a librarian at Mona. She is represented by Despard Gallery in nipaluna/Hobart.
