Irene Holub

Irene Holub is a Deaf CALD artist, filmmaker, curator, and advocate whose interdisciplinary practice explores human connection through Deaf culture, language, and identity. Working across projection, film, performance, installation, poetry, ceramics and multimedia, she uses visual storytelling to reveal unseen languages, lived experiences, and complex emotional landscapes.

Since 2016, Irene has created a significant body of Deaf-led work, including Invisible Skin (2019– 2021), Chaos (2022), Deaf Heart (2023), Blue (2024), Manifesto of Silences (2025–2026), and the Creative Victoria-funded Places of Belonging (2022–2024). Her work has been presented nationally and internationally at venues and festivals including Melbourne Fringe, White Night, Arts House, Alter State, Counihan Gallery, ACMI, State Library Victoria, and Sign On Screen Festival.

A leader in Deaf arts and cultural development, Irene has over 30 years of experience advancing Deaf culture, accessibility, and community engagement. She co-founded and curated the FLOW Festival (2017–2025), mentors emerging Deaf, DeafBlind, and DeafPlus artists, and has led workshops, community arts projects, and international collaborations across Australia and Mongolia. She is also a pioneer of Auslan art tours, expanding access to visual arts for Deaf audiences since 2018.

Her contributions have been recognised through numerous awards, fellowships, grants, and residencies, including the Lesley Hall Disability Arts Award (2025) and Bundanon Fellowship for Artists with Disability (2026). She has received ongoing support from Creative Victoria and Creative Australia since 2019, with residencies including DEF, Evolve, Gunyah, Arts House, and Bundanon. Her art is a social movement, a documentation of those influenced by the mainstream who have (un)intentionally removed the rights of people to be different, Deaf and proud.

@ireneholub
ireneholub.com.au