Multichannel Commission
The ACE Multichannel Commission (MC) is an annual contemporary art award that supports South Australian artists to develop a new multichannel moving image commission.
Applications for 2026 are now closed.
The Multichannel Commission (MC) provides $10,000 and a platform for SA artists to create ambitious projects that explore the conceptual and aesthetic possibilities of expanded moving images.
The application process is in two stages:
❶ Artists submit a concise Expression of Interest (EOI) outlining the core concept of their proposed work.
❷ ACE invites shortlisted artists to prepare a detailed proposal, for which a development fee is provided.
About the Multichannel Commission (MC)
Funded by the Porter Street Fund, the Multichannel Commission continues ACE’s legacy of commissioning ambitious, experimental new work by South Australian artists.
Presented in the ACE front window exhibition space – which is both highly and public-facing, the commission invites artists to consider the conceptual and aesthetic possibilities of expanded moving image practice. Works must be silent and presented across a minimum of three screens or projections.
The MC is one of several new opportunities now supported by the Porter Street Fund. Following five years of the Porter Street Commission, the Fund continues to underpin ACE’s commitment to commissioning, instigating and supporting ambitious new work and new ideas – now across a broader range of formats and exhibition contexts. This expanded approach allows the Fund to support more artists, more often, while continuing to support experimental, artist-led practice in South Australia.
How did the Porter Street Fund come to be?
The Multichannel Commission (MC) is made possible by the Porter Street Fund.
Established in 2017, ACE was founded on the legacy of its predecessors, Australian Experimental Art Foundation (AEAF) and Contemporary Art Centre of South Australia (CACSA), to serve and lead the South Australian contemporary visual arts sector into the next era. As the flagship contemporary visual arts organisation in South Australia, ACE honours the ambitions and intent of these two pioneering organisations through a commitment to experimental practice and support of contemporary artists.
From 1964 until 2016, CACSA was the longest running contemporary art space in Australia. It was created by the young artists of the Contemporary Art Society (CAS) – itself dating back to 1942. These artists recognised the need for a space of their own to freely experiment and present work to the public. So, in 1964, they purchased a four-bedroom villa at 14 Porter Street, Parkside, to convert into an art gallery, and there it operated until the property was sold in 2018.
The proceeds were invested to establish the Porter Street Fund, which honours the vision of the CAS artists and the legacy of CACSA, and serves to directly benefit the community for whom ACE exists. Since then, the Fund has supported a range of artist opportunities – most notably the Porter Street Commission (2020–2025) – and now continues this legacy through commissions such as the Multichannel Commission.
The Multichannel Commission offers
$10,000 artist and production fee
Development fee for shortlisted artists preparing a full proposal
5-month solo presentation in ACE’s window space (August–December 2026)
Support from ACE’s Artistic Director and Marketing Team to develop and present the Commission
Technical support and access to ACE AV equipment and resources
Public engagement opportunities, including the option to deliver a performance, screening, or artist talk
Eligibility
The Multichannel Commission opportunity is open to artists working in all disciplines.
Artists who reside in South Australia and have lived in the state for the past 12 months as of November 2025
People aged 18 and over
Artists not currently participating in ACE’s Studio Program
Collaborative proposals are welcome, though the $10,000 fee is fixed
First Nations people, d/Deaf and Disabled people, and people of different genders, sexualities and cultural backgrounds are encouraged to apply. Application in flexible formats or languages will be accommodated wherever possible. If you have accessibility requirements, please email danni@ace.gallery.
Application Process
Applications are reviewed by a panel of ACE staff and external peers.
Shortlisted applicants will be invited to develop a full proposal and will receive a development fee.
Expressions of Interest are assessed on:
The strength and clarity of the concept
Alignment with the commission’s format and site
The potential for the work to engage with the possibilities of multichannel moving image
The artist’s commitment to experimentation and contemporary practice
Accessibility
If you are unable to upload your support material via our form, you can supply a WeTransfer, Dropbox or Google Drive (preferred) link instead.
If you face barriers in completing application forms, we welcome you to reach out to find a suitable way for you to apply, and to discuss what capacities ACE has to support you should you be successful in your application.
There is the option to respond to the application questions in video or audio format in the 'support material' section of our form. Just upload a link to the video or audio when prompted in the form.
Timeline
EOIs open: Tuesday 20 October 2026.
EOIs close: Monday 9 November 2026 11.59pm (ACDT).
Shortlisted Applicants Notified: late November 2026
(Shortlisted artists will receive a development fee to prepare a full proposal)
Commission Recipient Announced: December 2026
Commission presented at ACE: August–December 2027
Applications for 2025–2026 are currently closed.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Multichannel Commission (MC) is a $10,000 contemporary art award that supports South Australian artists to create and present a new multichannel moving image or digital artwork. In 2026, the final work will be exhibited in ACE’s front window space across August–December.
Not exactly. The MC is a new opportunity supported by the Porter Street Fund, which previously funded the Porter Street Commission (2020–2025). From 2026, the Fund supports a broader range of commissions – including invited and open-call opportunities such as the MC.
The commissioned work must:
Be a new multichannel moving image or digital artwork
Be presented across a minimum of three screens or projections
Be silent, designed for high visibility in a public-facing space
Be created specifically for the ACE window space
In contemporary art, generally, "multichannel" means using multiple video streams, screens or projections simultaneously to create a complex, immersive, and layered viewing experience, offering different perspectives, images, or with narratives that can be synchronised or otherwise related.
No. This opportunity is intended to support the development of a new commission. Adaptations or previously presented works are not eligible.
No. A budget is not required at the EOI stage.
Shortlisted artists will be asked to provide a budget and production plan as part of their detailed proposal (Stage 2).
The Expression of Interest should be brief, clear and focused.
Please include:
A short artist bio (max 150 words)
A concise outline of your project concept (max 300 words)
Up to 3 links to previous work or relevant documentation (e.g. Vimeo, website, PDF)
The final work must premiere at ACE and cannot be shown publicly prior to the exhibition. Following its presentation at ACE, the artist is free to exhibit the work elsewhere.
Yes. The commissioned work will be retained in ACE’s collection and may be used for future non-commercial presentations, documentation, and archival purposes.
Yes. Collaborative proposals are welcome, but the $10,000 fee is fixed and must be shared among collaborators. A single lead applicant must be nominated.
Artists may submit multiple applications for each idea.
Absolutely. If you have questions about your proposal or access needs, please contact danni@ace.gallery.
2026
CJ Taylor lives and works in bushland on Kaurna/Peramangk country in regional southern Australia where his relationship to the land intimately shapes his visual arts and activist practice. His work pivots around his involvement in biodiversity care for the bushland and its native inhabitants and the questions that occupying that land raises regarding our experience of time, reality, narrative and history in threatened remnant native hinterlands. He engages with the notion of ‘elastic photography’ in the Age of Extinction, where time collapses into a gap opened up at the edge of photomedia and cinema. Crucially his experiences during the Australian Black Summer of 2019/2020 are of primary importance to his work. He has created major projects in Australia, the USA and the Outer Hebrides and Shetland Islands of Scotland working with the Adelaide Civic Collection, South Australian Museum and National Museum of Australia. He holds a PhD from ANU.
Bio published May 2026
The Last Age of the Falling Grace – 2026 Multichannel Commission: CJ Taylor
21 August - 05 December 2026
'The Last Age of the Falling Grace' is a meditation on our relationship with the land in the midst of climate emergency – a form of activism that seeks to create sensation that moves the viewer to act. It is also Jayne’s story; a story of life on the land for the land.
View Exhibition