150mmchallengeaus exhibtion
Metal Art Exhibition
Main festival area (free entry)
10am-4:30pm Saturday 17 May
10am-4pm Sunday 18 May
Australia’s finest metal artists and blacksmiths have once again answered the call of the #150mmChallengeAus, pushing the boundaries of creativity, artistry, and metalwork. This year’s exhibition is bigger and better than ever.
The #150mmChallengeAus began as a student project set by Lecturer Ambrose Burne at Hereford College of Arts (Hereford, UK). What started as a simple assignment quickly gained global momentum, challenging blacksmiths everywhere to transform a humble 150mm length of 20mm mild steel square bar into extraordinary works of art. The challenge celebrates the ingenuity, diversity, and skill of metalworkers worldwide.
After two successful exhibitions the Blacksmiths Festival Association called out to metal artists and blacksmiths to expand upon the challenge for 2025 in two categories:
Category 1: The Original 150mmChallengeAus
Submissions must be made from one 150mm piece of 20mm mild steel square bar AND one 150mm piece of 12mm copper round bar and be created using traditional forging techniques only.
Category 2: The 150mm Cube
Submissions must be a maximum of 150mm high, 150mm wide and 150mm long. Artists can use any form of metal and metalsmithing technique to create their sculpture, object or piece of jewelry.
Visit the exhibition as part of the festival site to witness the incredible results of this challenge. Many works are available for public auction.
Scroll down to see the 2025 virtual gallery. We’re updating the page as the submissions continue to arrive so stay tuned for more great pieces!
2025 Participating artists
(Click images to link to the artists website or socials where provided)
