ABC has announced that premiering Wednesday 5th May on ABC TV Plus and ABC iview is Art Works, a weekly half-hour show, dedicated to exploring the full spectrum of the arts in Australia. Hosted by arts broadcaster Namila Benson, each week Art Works will aim to reset the national artistic conversation featuring a palette of ideas to include everyone.
Namila Benson is an Arts broadcaster, producer and educator who has worked across multiple public and media platforms for over two decades. She guides conversations exploring race, culture, gender, and decolonisation through a creative lens. Focusing on black body politics and diaspora/settler identity, she brings critical nuance to a wide range of conversations.
With in-studio segments, behind-the-scenes stories, interviews, explainers and deep-dive field reports from locations across Australia, Art Works puts the spotlight on creativity as an overlooked but inherent part of our everyday lives. Art Works will hear from emerging creatives to established professionals, from major arts companies to the avant garde and everything in between.
According to host Namila Benson “Art Works will deliver candid, surprising, unexpected and funny insights from a whole range of creatives. It’s a place where stories, experiences and ideas will be shared and exchanged; where we can engage, debate, critique or just observe. And that’s the beauty of art, it’s for everybody.”
ABC head of entertainment and specialist Michael Carrington says “We’re delighted to have Namila on board to host Art Works, her expertise and passion for the arts is palpable. Art Works will be engaging, accessible and inspiring, and will shine a spotlight on the arts from around Australia every week.”
Celebrating the diversity of Australian creatives and bringing previously unheard voices and ideas into the conversation, Art Works will aim to redefine how we tell the stories of Australia today and tomorrow; inviting audiences to look, debate, consider and reflect on what the arts bring to all our lives.