ADELAIDE.- Adelaide Contemporary Experimental announced Oriana Julie Winston as the recipient of the 2026 ACE x Firstdraft Short-term Residency. Decided by the Firstdraft selection committee, Winston will undertake a three-month studio residency at ACE before presenting a new solo exhibition at Firstdraft in Sydney.

Through the residency, Winston will develop a new body of work that continues her exploration of material transformation through installation, sculpture and live performance.

ACE Artistic Director Danni Zuvela said, “Oriana’s practice is deeply curious, materially driven and unafraid to take risks. The ACE x Firstdraft Residency exists to support artists at pivotal moments in their practice, giving them space, time and support to test ambitious, experimental ideas and to push their practice further into rigorous experimentation and discovery. We’re excited to work with Oriana as she develops this new body of work and to see how it evolves through the residency before being presented at Firstdraft.”

Caity Reynolds, on behalf of the Firstdraft selection committee, said, “One of the best parts of the ACE x Firstdraft collaboration is encountering artists we haven’t seen before and seeing growth in the practices of artists who have applied in the past. It was a difficult decision this year, with a really strong field of applications. We’re excited to work with Oriana and see how her work develops throughout the residency towards her exhibition at Firstdraft.”

Now in its fifth year, the ACE x Firstdraft Short-term Residency offers one South Australian artist the opportunity to develop new work at ACE and then present it at one of Australia’s leading independent artist-run initiatives, Firstdraft. The creative partnership continues to foster experimentation, professional development and national exchange for early-career artists.





“The Firstdraft residency project is one of the major ways ACE supports early career artists to experiment, explore and expand their practice. We love witnessing how artists respond to this exciting challenge and are grateful for the platform that Firstdraft, the nation’s premier ‘breakthrough’ space for ambitious artists at the outset of their careers, provides for highly promising South Australian artists through this collaboration,” Artistic Director Danni Zuvela says.

ACE look forward to supporting Oriana throughout the residency and sharing the development of her project ahead of its presentation at Firstdraft later this year.