The Anzac Memorial Veteran Artist in Residence program offers contemporary veterans with established creative practices the opportunity to engage with the Memorial and the broader community through an artwork or project.
The program provides participating artists with a unique chance to explore the Memorial's architecture, history and artefacts as part of a creative project that reflects on, and interprets, Australian military experience, the Anzac Memorial and/or memorialisation.
The 2025 Veteran Artist in Residence program is supported by the Veterans Benevolent Fund, with support from RSL & Services Clubs.
Veteran Artists in Residence 2025
Hugh Semple
Watercolour artist
A former full-time member of the Royal Australian Corps of Transport, Hugh now calls Wagga Wagga home. After a medical discharge from the Army, Hugh turned to painting as a form of healing—what start out as a therapeutic outlet soon became a full-time creative career.
During his residency at the Memorial, Hugh will create a powerful series of watercolour works inspired by veterans new purpose after service. Each piece will be paired with a written narrative, offering a glimpse into the personal journeys and hopes of others who have served.
Hugh invites us to see veterans not only through the lens of sacrifice or strength, but also as evolving individuals—creative, complex, and deeply human. His work offers a fresh perspective on life after service.
Warwick Young
Film maker and director
A member of the Australian Army since 1983—with service continuing to this day—Warwick is also an award-winning filmmaker and director.
With a Master of Screen Arts in Directing from AFTRS, Warwick brings a cinematic lens to the stories of service and sacrifice. As Chairman of the Veterans Film Foundation, he is an advocate for storytelling as a powerful tool for recovery, and through the Screen Warriors Program he helps fellow veterans transition into film and television careers.
His residency project, Echoes of Sacrifice, will be a cinematic and poetic tribute to the Memorial’s art, architecture, and archives. Blending evocative imagery, original music by veteran musicians, and powerful symbolism, the film will offer a unique cinematic perspective.
Warwick’s project will also collaborate with alumni from the Screen Warriors Program.
Program background
In 1934, the Memorial building was erected for the use, benefit, rest or recreation of sailors, soldiers and nurses returned from the Great War. Keeping with this spirit, the Memorial today runs several programs for the benefit of current veterans while connecting them to the history of Australia’s servicemen and servicewomen.
Launched in 2019, the Veteran Artist in Residence Program is one such program for the benefit of current veterans while also recognising the strong historic connection between art and military experience.
The guest veteran artist (or group) will have a unique chance to explore the Memorial's architecture, history and artefacts as part of a creative project that reflects on and interprets Australian military experience, the Anzac Memorial and/or memorialisation.
The use of art to depict and record Australia’s involvement in war and its impact has resulted in a vast collection of trench art, paintings, music and poetry. Art has also been an important tool in the rehabilitation and recovery of veterans that have been affected through their military career, particularly during active service.
The program is open to creative practitioners who have served in the Australian Defence Force, with preference given to applicants from NSW.
In 2022, the program was awarded the Museums and Galleries NSW IMAGinE Award for Innovation and Resilience.
Frequently asked questions
Are you a veteran artist who is interested in applying for the next Veteran Artist in Residence round? Register your interest to receive a notification email when applications open.
For further information on the program, please visit our frequently asked questions page for details on the residency terms, eligibility and application process.
Previous Veteran Artists
Domenic Bartolo
Veteran and artist Domenic Bartolo served as the Anzac Memorial’s Veteran Artist in Residence in 2024.
Domenic Bartolo served in the Army Reserve (infantry) from 1994-97. Currently Domenic is a graphic designer and has worked in the advertising industry for the past 20 years. He also has a Diploma in Fine Arts. In recent years, in his spare time, Domenic has managed to merge his passion for history and the military with art – creating a number of works for the Royal Australian Navy, The Royal Australian Airforce, The Naval Association of Australia and the AMDA Foundation.
As part of his Residency, Domenic created a number of hand-drawn illustrations and an exhibition that shares the stories behind local war memorials in Sydney including the Anzac Memorial.
You can shop Domenic's prints on our Online Shop.
Cory Rinaldi
In 2020-21, veteran and artist Cory Rinaldi served as the Anzac Memorial’s debut Veteran Artist in Residence.
Cory joined the Army Reserves in 1996 and Australian Army in 1999. His almost 20-year military career saw him deployed to Butterworth, Malaysia, twice to East Timor, and to Basra, Iraq. After a diagnosis of chronic post traumatic stress (PTS) in 2013 and a medical discharge in 2015, Cory turned to his long-held passion for painting as a form of rehabilitation.
Cory’s residency culminated with an exhibition in 2022, A Soldier's Healing, featuring 18 paintings he produced during his time at the Memorial.