Image: Alyssa Powell-Ascura, *Kain Tayo*, 2023-24, photo: Louis Bullock

August 23, 2024

finissage tickets

Finissage: Friday August 23, 4:30-6:30pm

The Exhibition Space, 154 Angas St, Kaurna Yarta

Free entry, all welcome

You can find Halo-halo and A Resting State in The Mill’s Gallery I and II, located at 154 Angas St, Kaurna Yarta (Adelaide).
The Mill's Galleries is open Monday-Friday, 10am-4pm.
Accessibility
The Mill has two entrances, the main entrance on the corner of Angas and Gunson Street and an accessible entrance further down Angas Street.
Both doors are locked from the outside, there is a doorbell on the main door that will alert The Mill team. They will meet you at the accessible entrance to welcome you into the building.
The Mill has concrete flooring throughout with no internal steps and a disability toilet on site.
Read more in-depth information on our accessibility web page.

Please join us for the closing event for The Mill's SALA exhibitions, A Resting State and Halo-halo.

A Resting State is a group exhibition curated by resident artist Hamish Fleming, featuring work by Hamish Fleming, George Gilles, Anthea Jones, Robert Viner Jones and Billy Oakley.

Halo-halo is a solo exhibition by Alyssa Powell-Ascura developed through the Delima Residency in Rimbun Dahan, Malaysia, and at The Mill, in cooperation with the Mahmood Martin Foundation.

More about A Resting State

More about Halo-halo

This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body.

The Delima Residency is presented in cooperation with the Mahmood Martin Foundation.

Halo-halo has received sponsorship from Mama-Sita’s Filipino sauces and spice mixes.

A Resting State is supported by City of Adelaide.

alyssa powell-ascura, gallery II, public program

Artist talk: Alyssa Powell-Ascura, Halo-halo

Adele Sliuzas · July 2, 2024

Alyssa Powell-Ascura in her studio as part of the Delima Residency, presented in cooperation with the Mahmood Martin Foundation. Photo: Daniel Marks.

Artist Talk

book tickets

When: Friday, July 26, 5:30-6:30pm

Where: The Mill, 154 Angas Street, Kaurna Yarta

Cost: Free

The Mill has two entrances, the main entrance on the corner of Angas and Gunson Street and an accessible entrance further down Angas Street.
Both doors are locked from the outside, there is a doorbell on the main door that will alert The Mill team. They will meet you at the accessible entrance to welcome you into the building.
The Mill has concrete flooring throughout with no internal steps and a disability toilet on site.
Read more in-depth information on our accessibility web page.

Join Alyssa Powell-Ascura and The Mill's Visual Arts Curator Adele Sliuzas for a chat about her exhibition Halo-halo, showing in Gallery II at The Mill as part of SALA Festival.

About the exhibition

The Mill is excited to present Halo-halo, a new exhibition by Alyssa Powell-Ascura developed through the Delima Residency in Rimbun Dahan, Malaysia and at The Mill. Alyssa explores her Filipino heritage and her experience of undertaking the residency in Malaysia through video, installation, photography and personal essays. Her work touches on multi-sensory experiences, bringing audiences into the act of kamayan - a traditional Filipino method of eating with bare hands. She invites audiences to immerse and participate within her installation environment. Photographs evoke the lush, humid environment at Rimbun Dahan and create a conversation between Alyssa’s experience in Malaysia, her ancestral home in Pilipinas (The Philippines) and growing up here in ‘Australia’

Halo-halo is presented in cooperation with the Mahmood Martin Foundation.

A self titled “slashie”, Alyssa Powell-Ascura is a multi-hyphenated creative. Proud to have grown up in Bundjalung country in a Filipino-Italian-Australian household, she has a background that has given her an interesting, layered perspective on the world.
Alyssa works across a variety of artistic mediums including: writing, conceptual art, immersive installation, traditional and mixed digital media, just to name a few.
Her personal belief in the interconnected relationship of humans to nature drives her to pursue advocating better care of ourselves and our Earth. A finalist of the inaugural SA Environment Awards 2023, she is nominated for her environmental advocacy and using her platform as an emerging creative to promote sustainability and inspire young people.
Motivated to bridge a deeper understanding and connection of Indigenous Philippines and pre colonial Indigenous Australia, Alyssa aims to be actively involved in the intersections she is a part of.
Her creative work has been featured in a variety of local and international publications such as: Local Brown Baby (US), Kindling and Sage magazine (AU), Blank Street Press (AU) and The Philippine Times (AU). She has been published in The Entree.Pinays' anthology "The Calamansi Story: Filipino Migrants in Australia".
If she’s not talking to the local Aunties and writing about food and culture, she can be found by the beach patting puppies who stop by to say hello.

Workshop: Kain Tayo [let's eat] with Alyssa Powell-Ascura

Adele Sliuzas · June 25, 2024

Artwork: *Sari Sari Store*, Alyssa Powell-Ascura. Photo: Daniel Marks.

book tickets

Workshop

When: Sunday, July 21, 12-3pm

Where: The Mill, 154 Angas Street, Kaurna Yarta

Cost: $45 (+booking fee)

The Mill has two entrances, the main entrance on the corner of Angas and Gunson Street and an accessible entrance further down Angas Street.
Both doors are locked from the outside, there is a doorbell on the main door that will alert The Mill team. They will meet you at the accessible entrance to welcome you into the building.
The Mill has concrete flooring throughout with no internal steps and a disability toilet on site.
Read more in-depth information on our accessibility web page.

Join artist Alyssa Powell-Ascura for a relaxed lunch gathering where you’ll learn about Alyssa’s approach to art-making through the lens of food, family and culture.

Experience making your own halo-halo, learning about Filipino food through the act of kamayan (eating with hands) and feast through a curated menu featuring iconic Filipino food favourites.

This workshop is presented as part of Alyssa's solo exhibition Halo-halo, currently showing at The Mill in cooperation with Mahmood Martin Foundation.

What to expect:

Seated within Alyssa's exhibition, guests will be served traditional Filipino dishes and learn about Kamayan (eating with hands). All food provided, and the bar will be available to purchase wines from Hither & Yon and take home a complimentary Mama Sita’s package to recreate Filipino dishes at home.

Dietary note:

Vegan options available.

A self titled “slashie”, Alyssa Powell-Ascura is a multi-hyphenated creative. Proud to have grown up in Bundjalung country in a Filipino-Italian-Australian household, she has a background that has given her an interesting, layered perspective on the world.
Alyssa works across a variety of artistic mediums including: writing, conceptual art, immersive installation, traditional and mixed digital media, just to name a few.
Her personal belief in the interconnected relationship of humans to nature drives her to pursue advocating better care of ourselves and our Earth. A finalist of the inaugural SA Environment Awards 2023, she is nominated for her environmental advocacy and using her platform as an emerging creative to promote sustainability and inspire young people.
Motivated to bridge a deeper understanding and connection of Indigenous Philippines and pre colonial Indigenous Australia, Alyssa aims to be actively involved in the intersections she is a part of.
Her creative work has been featured in a variety of local and international publications such as: Local Brown Baby (US), Kindling and Sage magazine (AU), Blank Street Press (AU) and The Philippine Times (AU). She has been published in The Entree.Pinays' anthology "The Calamansi Story: Filipino Migrants in Australia".
If she’s not talking to the local Aunties and writing about food and culture, she can be found by the beach patting puppies who stop by to say hello.

Virtual Gallery: Alyssa Powell-Ascura, Halo-halo

Adele Sliuzas · June 24, 2024

For June-August 2024 The Mill presents Halo-halo, a new exhibition by Alyssa Powell-Ascura developed through the Delima Residency in Rimbun Dahan, Malaysia, and at The Mill.

Halo-halo has been developed as part of The Mill’s Visual Arts Studio Residency program presented in cooperation with the Mahmood Martin Foundation.

This Virtual Gallery includes exhibition photography and social photography from the opening night and will include the live stream of Alyssa’s artist talk.

Exhibition: Alyssa Powell-Ascura, Halo-halo

Adele Sliuzas · April 3, 2024

June 3 - August 23, 2024

finissage tickets

Finissage: Friday August 23, 4:30-6:30pm

list of works

The Exhibition Space, 154 Angas St, Kaurna Yarta

Free entry, all welcome

You can find Halo-halo in The Mill’s Gallery II, located at 154 Angas St, Kaurna Yarta (Adelaide).
Gallery II is open Monday-Friday, 10am-4pm.
Accessibility
The Mill has two entrances, the main entrance on the corner of Angas and Gunson Street and an accessible entrance further down Angas Street.
Both doors are locked from the outside, there is a doorbell on the main door that will alert The Mill team. They will meet you at the accessible entrance to welcome you into the building.
The Mill has concrete flooring throughout with no internal steps and a disability toilet on site.
Read more in-depth information on our accessibility web page.

The Mill is excited to present Halo-halo, a new exhibition by Alyssa Powell-Ascura developed through the Delima Residency in Rimbun Dahan, Malaysia, and at The Mill. Alyssa explores her Filipino heritage and her experience of undertaking the residency in Malaysia through video, installation, photography and personal essays. Her work touches on multi-sensory experiences, bringing audiences into the act of kamayan- a traditional Filipino method of eating with bare hands. She invites audiences to immerse and participate within her installation environment. Photographs evoke the lush, humid environment at Rimbun Dahan and create a conversation between Alyssa’s experience in Malaysia, her ancestral home in Pilipinas (The Philippines) and growing up here in ‘Australia’

Halo-halo is presented in cooperation with the Mahmood Martin Foundation and with support from Creative Australia.

view the Virtual Gallery

Halo-halo (loose translation mix-mix or mixed) is the name of a popular Filipino shaved ice dessert made by layering a concoction of various ingredients. Each layer of different traditional toppings can be eaten one by one, or usually mixed, eventually combining into a sweetened dessert.
As an emerging multi-hyphenate artist, my first major solo exhibition at The Mill shows my investigation of cultures and the intersections I find myself in as an Asian Australian; a halo-halo of identities, the overarching theme of the exhibition.
Through the lens of food, family and culture, the audience is welcomed to a seat at the table, weaving together threads of tradition, memory, and contemporary discourse into a rich tapestry of multi-sensory experiences. Much like halo-halo, the exhibition showcases diverse works that are experimental in nature that you can consume on its own — and then all together, creating a mouthful of complementing ideas.
Some of the works showcased in “Halo-Halo” draw inspiration from living indigenous practices, for example, the act of kamayan seen in the video work Kain Tayo, employ the method of eating food with your hands, where communal feasting becomes a metaphor for shared experiences and collective consideration.
Central to my artistic vision is the conscious incorporation of repurposed or found items. Everyday items common in Filipino households, such as the ubiquitous kumot or blanket, serve as anchors, becoming symbols of resilience and adaptation; ultimately interrogating the assignment of value of these otherwise ordinary items when shown in a gallery setting.
During the Malaysian part of my Delima Residency, I engaged directly with community members, witnessed rural rituals, and embarked on a personal journey. This immersive experience deepened my connection to my Filipino lineage, shaping the spiritual dimension of my artistic practice.
Halo-halo is more than an exhibition — it is a celebration of the fifth largest migrant community in Australia whose ties to Indigenous Australia transcend pre-colonial times. It is an extension of myself, my unapologetic love letter to my Filipino ancestry and Australian upbringing.
A self titled “slashie”, Alyssa Powell-Ascura is a multi-hyphenated creative. Proud to have grown up in Bundjalung country in a Filipino-Italian-Australian household, she has a background that has given her an interesting, layered perspective on the world.
Alyssa works across a variety of artistic mediums including: writing, conceptual art, immersive installation, traditional and mixed digital media, just to name a few.
Her personal belief in the interconnected relationship of humans to nature drives her to pursue advocating better care of ourselves and our Earth. A finalist of the inaugural SA Environment Awards 2023, she is nominated for her environmental advocacy and using her platform as an emerging creative to promote sustainability and inspire young people.
Motivated to bridge a deeper understanding and connection of Indigenous Philippines and pre colonial Indigenous Australia, Alyssa aims to be actively involved in the intersections she is a part of.
Her creative work has been featured in a variety of local and international publications such as: Local Brown Baby (US), Kindling and Sage magazine (AU), Blank Street Press (AU) and The Philippine Times (AU). She has been published in The Entree.Pinays' anthology "The Calamansi Story: Filipino Migrants in Australia".
If she’s not talking to the local Aunties and writing about food and culture, she can be found by the beach patting puppies who stop by to say hello.