Cover Image: Chloe Wilder Studio. Photo by Luke Latty, courtesy of MRROS.

Margaret River Region Open Studios
13-28 September 2025

Over the last few years, during the Noongar Wadandi season of Djiba, the wildflower season, local artists open their creative spaces to art enthusiasts from all over Australia in the multi-awarded event of the Margaret River Region Open Studios (MRROS). From well-established to emergent artists, there will be an abundance of creative experiences and opportunities to discover new talent.

It is unimaginable that, what is now considered one of the largest art affairs of its kind in Australia, started at a community arts workshop when locals Bill Castleden and Jilian Taylor decided to join forces and create an open studios event in the region. Given the large number of artists living and working locally, they saw the potential in fostering a project that would allow them to show their work to the public. By opening their studios for 16 days, the artists would invite locals and attract visitors from Perth, that would come down and spend a week or two discovering the beauty of the region while roving through the art studios.

Twelve years have passed, and the Margaret River Region Open Studios continues to grow with more artists and visitors each edition. Just last year, more than 12,000 people have visited 110,000 studios. From Busselton to Yallingup, down through Cowaramup to Augusta, the region will reveal a deeply layered and varied contemporary art scene. A diverse survey of mediums will be presented- from painting, ceramic, sculpture and photography to jewellery, woodwork, printmaking, metalwork, glassmaking, furniture, installations and upcycling.

It is a unique opportunity for cultural encounters. Artists will share their stories, images and work with an audience eager to learn about their practice and their connection to the region. A way to celebrate the rich cultural diversity presented in each studio, showcasing artists from various countries, who found inspiration and a sense of belonging in the natural milieu of Margaret River.

The 2025 program is set to deliver on their award-winning reputation as a key WA cultural event. As a sneak-peek, we interviewed four of the participating artists who happily shared what brought them to the region, why MRROS is so unique and what we can expect from visiting their studio.

Karen Seaman

Painting / Ceramics / Sculpture
Cowaramup area

What made you choose to come to this region? 

My connection to this region runs deep – in the 70s, my parents bought a holiday house in Cowaramup Bay, and I’ve spent most of my life in and around this area. I’ve lived here permanently since the late 80s. Now I live on a beautiful, forested rural property, and the surrounding flora and landscape are a constant source of inspiration in my painting. The natural world is central to my practice — it’s what grounds me and fuels my creativity.

How do you think the Margaret River Regional Open Studios has changed the perception of this region as an arts hub?

Open Studios has played a huge role in putting the Southwest on the map as a creative destination. It’s shown people just how many artists live and work in this region — and it’s given us the chance to connect with an art-loving public in a personal way.

What can viewers expect from visiting your studio this year?

This year I’ve taken some time off to explore new ideas, and my studio will reflect that. Visitors can expect a wide range of oil paintings and sculptures, as well as a playful collection of new work — including handmade buttons, sculptural fridge magnets, teapots, and vases. I love working across different materials, so there’s always something unexpected to discover.

Martine Perret

Photography
Cowaramup area

In your opinion, what makes this event so unique?

The diversity of what people can see. When you pick up a guide, you discover so many different genres of art and unique places to visit. The conversations you have and the spaces you explore are truly inspiring. It’s not like visiting a gallery – you’re stepping into someone’s intimate space. I would love to be a visitor myself, to spend two weeks non-stop exploring and visiting all the different studios.

On average, how many visitors do you usually have coming into your studio? What are they most interested in?

We welcome around 1,600 people into our studio. Some visitors come specifically to see my work, others are drawn in after seeing the photo in the guide, and some arrive completely by chance. They often don’t know what to expect, and they’re always surprised by my large-scale photographs. On a phone screen, the image might appear just 3 cm wide, but in the studio, some can be up to 1.5 meters wide and that scale creates a powerful impact.

What can viewers expect from visiting your studio this year?

This year, my studio will mainly feature my large-scale aerial photographs from the Wheatbelt, Pilbara, Kimberley and our region. People usually react well to these works because they have “painterly “quality — they are more ethereal, closer to drawings or paintings, and feature the amazing colours of Western Australia. I will also exhibit smaller prints and some of the books I published. I am truly looking forward to welcoming visitors and sharing a great time together.

Yu-Hua Lan

Ceramics / Sculpture / Jewellery
Margaret River Area

What made you choose to come to this region? 

My husband and I come from different countries, and we chose to move to Australia together in search of a new foundation. When we arrived in Margaret River, I felt an unspoken response from the land itself. The forest, the riverbeds, the subtle texture of the soil – these quiet details helped me reconnect with the materials I use and the emotions I carry. I began collecting wild clay from local riverbanks, combining it with porcelain, and pressing karri and jarrah bark into the surface. These traces are more than visual patterns; they are conversations between my inner world and the land that now surrounds me. This place is not just where I live – I hope it’s where my work truly takes root.

Why did you decide to take part in this event?

My work is deeply personal, often exploring themes of migration, fragmentation, and the tension between wanting to belong and fearing the loss of one’s original self. MRROS offers a rare opportunity to invite people into this space – where I am still searching for emotional balance and meaning. It challenges me to face my creative process more honestly. This is not just about showing finished pieces; it’s about the vulnerable act of opening my inner world. At the same time, the event allows me to experiment with transforming abstract emotional language into more practical, tactile forms – pieces that can enter people’s everyday lives. 

What can viewers expect from visiting your studio this year?

This year, visitors will see a new work I’m creating for the October exhibition “25 Kilns, Sculptural Diversity in Clay” at Margaret River HEART. The piece combines my signature porcelain language—fractured, tangled, organic forms—with wild clay and wood ash collected from the local Margaret River region. It’s also my first time participating in a wood firing, and the first time I’m working with wild clay in dialogue with porcelain. The surface includes impressions from karri and jarrah bark, botanical castings, and natural crack formations—capturing the emotional fragments of a search for belonging, and the layered nature of cultural identity. Alongside the finished work, I’ll be sharing mould components, plaster tools, glaze experiments, and process notes. It’s not just a display—it’s an invitation into the evolving state of making. This work is an ongoing question: Who am I? Where do I come from? Where will I take root? Through clay, I continue to search for the answers.

Kim Kiosses

Painting
Dunsborough area

Why did you decide to take part in this event?

Being involved in MRROS gives me an opportunity to share my knowledge and lived experience with the broader community. I feel sharing stories can break down barriers and nurture a deeper understanding about Aboriginal history and culture.

What do you take from participating in the Margaret River Region Open Studios?

I enjoy meeting people from all walks of life. I am grateful to be able to share my knowledge, stories and culture through my artwork.

What can viewers expect from visiting your studio this year?

Through my artwork I proudly celebrate my Aboriginal heritage and identity. I have developed a unique style of painting that combines dots, texture, symbols and intricate linework.

How to plan a visit to the Studios

With such a vast area to cover and over 150 artists, it can get overwhelming to know where to start. By consulting the Margaret River Open Studios’ guide online  you can start organising your visit by using their “artist trail maker”. You can plan it by location, choosing a sub region like Augusta or Dunsborough, by your favourite art form or simply by selecting one or more artists.

Margaret River Region Open Studios is on from 13-28 September 2025.
For more information, visit: https://mrropenstudios.com.au