5 Press

15. 5 Press (August Carpenter, Sarah McConnell & Sophie Westerman), on anxiety, 2025, monotype on 100% Cotton 300gsm Hahnemuhle, 37 x 48 cm. NFS

This work stemmed from a conversation on anxiety, with each of us adding a layer in response to the work of those who went before. A deep black field surrounds a textured orange centre, overlaid with a rigid grid. Shaped by three hands, and three anxious minds, the result is a perspective into our individual and collective thoughts. 

5 Press was founded in 2015 by 5 Naarm/Melbourne based artists: August Carpenter, Cheralyn Lim, Sarah McConnell, Jaime Powell and Sophie Westerman. Currently there are three active members, Sophie Westerman, Sarah McConnell & August Carpenter. The artists met while studying at the Victorian College of the Arts, and reconnected a few years later at the inaugural Melbourne Art Book Fair. The collective was formed with the intention of investigating the artist book form, through traditional printmaking and book binding techniques. 5 Press are represented in a number of private and public Australian collections including the National Library of Australia (Canberra), the State Library of Victoria, and the University of Melbourne Lenton Parr Music, Visual and Performing Arts Library (Melbourne).