21 November 2026 – 13 February 2027
Fairfield City Museum & Gallery
What does home mean to an artist? For nationally acclaimed Fairfield artist David Capra, home is a world of vibrant objects, playful forms and creative inspiration, shaped by his passion for the iconic Italian Memphis Design movement of the 1980s.
From 21 November 2026 to 13 February 2027, Fairfield City Museum & Gallery, with the support of the Italian Cultural Institute of Sydney, presents Memphis, Fairfield, an exhibition that brings Capra’s colourful and eclectic domestic world into the gallery. Inspired by the bold aesthetic of Memphis Design, which challenged minimalism and blurred the boundaries between art, design and popular culture, the exhibition explores how everyday objects and personal collections can become a source of artistic expression.
During the COVID-19 lockdowns, Capra decided that if he could not travel, he would bring the world of Memphis into his Fairfield home. His collection grew to include specially commissioned pieces, bootlegs and original works of his own, transforming his home into a living celebration of this influential design movement.
The exhibition invites visitors into Capra’s creative universe, revealing how the spaces we inhabit, the objects we collect and the stories we tell can shape our artistic practice.
Please join us for the launch of MEMPHIS, FAIRFIELD by David Capra on Saturday 21st November, from 2pm – 4pm with special guest Philip Arnold who will be opening the exhibition.
About David Capra
David Capra is an artist known for his distinctive collaborations with his late dachshund, Teena. Their projects have included Eau de Wet Dogge, a fragrance promoted on the Nine Network’s Today show in 2016, and Teena’s Bathtime, launched at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia’s Jackson Bella Room in 2015.
In 2018, David and Teena presented The Long and Short of It: Life Lessons from Art-Dog Teena to an audience of 5,000 at TEDxSydney. The following year, they collaborated with Kaldor Public Art Projects on a series of educational videos and a Kaldor Studio project at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. David’s curatorial work includes Che Cosa at Wollongong City Gallery in 2015. In 2005, he received the Piemontesi nel Mondo award.
The Memphis Design Movement
Founded in Milan in December 1980 by Italian designer Ettore Sottsass and a group of fellow designers and architects, the Memphis Group challenged conventional ideas about design and functionality. Its name referenced both Memphis, Tennessee, and the ancient Egyptian capital.
The group included influential designers such as Martine Bedin, Aldo Cibic, Michele De Lucchi, Nathalie Du Pasquier, Matteo Thun and George J. Sowden. Its first major exhibition, held in Milan in September 1981, presented 55 pieces of furniture, lighting and ceramics, quickly attracting international attention.
Building on the radical design experiments of the 1960s, Memphis embraced bold colours, geometric forms, unexpected material combinations and playful references to pop culture. Rejecting the idea that objects should be purely functional, the movement explored their symbolic, emotional and cultural meanings.
Combining kitsch with elegance, popular culture with high art, and innovative materials with traditional finishes, Memphis Design transformed the relationship between people and the objects around them. Its irreverent spirit continues to inspire artists and designers today.
photo credits: Felipe Olivares
More information on the Fairfield Museum’s website HERE
