Gertrude and Arts Project Australia
Jordan Dymke
Who Am I?

Gertrude, in partnership with Arts Project Australia (APA), presents the pilot of a new exhibition initiative as part of a program designed to foster artistic exchange and creative development for practicing artists. APA is one of the world’s most dynamic organisations supporting neurodivergent artists and artists with intellectual disabilities through their studio and exhibition programs. Each year, an APA studio artist will be paired with a Gertrude Studio Program artist (current or alumni) to collaborate over a 12-month period. The partnership culminates in a solo exhibition at Gertrude Glasshouse, supporting artistic growth, opportunities for professional development, and deeper connections between creative communities. 

For this first project in 2026, APA artist Jordan Dymke has partnered with recent Gertrude studio artist Francis Carmody to explore new modes of self-portraiture, personal narrative and identity through large-scale painting. Who am I? focuses on a commitment to using oneself as both the subject, and the subject of enquiry.

Jordan Dymke works primarily in figurative painting, drawing, and ceramics. His practice is grounded in self-reflection and introspection, using drawing from life and collected images to examine his own body as a site of identity, biography, and personal inquiry. The images are often pared back and partially rendered, creating works that hover between depiction and impression. His works have an elusive quality, echoing the shifting and unresolved nature of looking inward.

Dymke joined Arts Project Australia in 2012. He has featured in group exhibitions throughout Australia, including Symbiosis, presented through the Miegunyah Creative Fellowship at Buxton Contemporary, Naarm Melbourne; Das Boot at the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Naarm Melbourne; and Variations at Arts Project Australia, Collingwood Yards, Naarm Melbourne.