APHIDS is an artist-led experimental art organisation based in Naarm/Melbourne. 

Collaborative, risk-taking and future focused, APHIDS is led by Lara Thoms and Mish Grigor.

APHIDS makes experimental work across artforms and contexts: in public space, festivals, digital platforms, across visual and performing arts, major institutions and beyond. APHIDS have been presented in every state and territory in Australia, from the Malthouse Theatre to the Art Gallery of SA. We have engaged audiences in samurai hotels in Japan, churches in Finland, community halls in regional towns, drive-ins and even beamed art into outer space.

APHIDS includes the triad of Amrita Hepi, Amaara Raheem, and Sammaneh Pourshafighi, through a peer-based approach to art-making, knowledge sharing and cross disciplinary exchange from diverse viewpoints. 

Our mission is to:

Create dynamic and unexpected art across accessible and high-profile platforms.

Collaborate with people inside and outside of the arts to bring attention to urgent social, political and cultural concerns.

Interrogate power structures and create radical new ways of working together.

APHIDS is currently based at Collingwood Yards

APHIDS is a non-profit organisation championed by our patrons and supporters. APHIDS (ABN: 24 721 913 934) is a registered Tax Concession Charity and Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR). Donations of all sizes are welcome and every donation of $2 or more to APHIDS is tax-deductible. Please consider giving to APHIDS here. 

CROSS-ARTFORM COLLABORATIONS SINCE 1994

Since 1994, APHIDS has created over 90  new works, resulting in 180 presentations across Australia and the world.

Aphids was founded in 1994 by Artistic Director/composer David Young, writer/musician Cynthia Troup, visual artist Sarah Pirrie and fashion designer Kath Banger. In 2010, Willoh S. Weiland joined the company as Artistic Director putting her own unique mark on the company ethos with an experimental and innovative program fusing music, performance and new technologies. In 2019 Aphids entered into a new era, led by Co-Directors Eugenia Lim, Lara Thoms and Mish Grigor. In 2022, Aphids continues to be led by Lara Thoms and Mish Grigor with the APHIDS triad.

2023

Winner of the Melbourne Award for Arts and Events

OH DEER! Rising Festival Melbourne  and  Transform Festival UK
THE DIRECTOR, Mona Foma festival, Platform and Fusebox festival USA
GUTFUL:Bug In the System, Now or Never Festival
DEAD RICH NGV for Melbourne Now
DESTINY Various Galleries

2022

Winner Incinerator Art Prize for Social Change.

Class Act, The Substation
Contentious Buffet, WinterWild Festival
GUTFUL: Revolt!, State Library Victoria
FAWN, ACMI Gallery 5 & MELT at Brisbane Powerhouse
BAMBI Development, Rising
APHIDS Listens, ONLINE

2021
Destiny, ACCA
EASY RIDERS, Trades Hall, Rising
APHIDS Listens, ONLINE
Feminist Futures, QVWC
A Perfect Day, Composite
Class Act Development, THE SUBSTATION
Radical Bite Development, ALCHEMY, STATE LIBRARY VICTORIA

2020
The Director, INTERNATIONAL THEATRE FESTIVAL OF KERALA, INDIA
Howl, ADELAIDE BIENNIAL OF AUSTRALIAN ART: MONSTER THEATRES 2020, ART GALLERY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA, ADELAIDE
APHIDS Listens, ONLINE
Class Act Development, MELBOURNE

2019
Exit Strategies, ARTSHOUSE, MELBOURNE
Easy Riders: The Prologue Program, MPAVILION, MELBOURNE
The Director, SICK FESTIVAL, MANCHESTER,ANTI CONTEMPORARY ART FESTIVAL, FINLAND, SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE, SYDNEY
APHIDS Listens, ONLINE
Questions for Problems, IAN POTTER MUSEUM OF ART, MELBOURNE
The Talk, PERTH INSTITUTE OF CONTEMPORARY ART, PERTH

2018
Crawl Me Blood, ROYAL TASMANIAN BOTANICAL GARDENS, HOBART, ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS MELBOURNE, MELBOURNE
Howl, PERTH INSTITUTE OF CONTEMPORARY ART, PERTH
Artefact Screening, DISRUPTED FESTIVAL OF IDEAS, PERTH
Flyway, THEATRE GARONNE, TOULOUSE, FRANCE
Icon, FEDERATION SQUARE, MELBOURNE
Attack of the Art Film, LIBRARY AT THE DOCK

2017
Crawl Me Blood, ROYAL MELBOURNE BOTANICAL GARDENS, MELBOURNE
Artefact Screening, ANTI CONTEMPORARY ART FESTIVAL, FINLAND, ACMI’S ART + FILM SERIES, MELBOURNE
Flyway, THEATRE DER WELT, GERMANY

2016
Artefact, ANTI CONTEMPORARY ART FESTIVAL, FINLAND
Howl, FESTIVAL OF LIVE ART, NORTH MELBOURNE
Spooky Action at a Distance, SCHWINDELFREI FESTIVAL, GERMANY
Flyway, SUBSTATION, NEWPORT
Underground, WONDERFEEL FESTIVAL, NETHERLANDS

2015
Forever Now, MONA FOMA, TASMANIA
A Singular Phenomenon, MALTHOUSE THEATRE, MELBOURNE
Finale, LES RENCONTRES INTERNATIONALES BERLIN, 2015
Flyway, NOA FESTIVAL, LITHUANIA
Fun Run, FINLAND & SOUTH KOREA
Crawl Me Blood development, VITALSTATISTIX & FRESH MILK

2014
The Drive In Project, DROMANA DRIVE IN
Finale, DROMANA DRIVE IN & LES RENCONTRES INTERNATIONALES PARIS, 2014
Game Show, FESTIVAL OF LIVE ART, MELBOURNE
Flyway, THE NETHERLANDS & BULGARIA
The Second Before, GOING NOWHERE, ARTS HOUSE
Somewhere Over the Rainbow Residency, FEDERATION SQUARE

2013
Game Show, WORLD THEATRE FESTIVAL, BRISBANE
Fun Run, SYDNEY FESTIVAL
Metaverse Makeovers Live at the Portals, ISEA, SYDNEY

2012
Thrashing Without Looking, NATIONAL TOUR
The Lady and The Tiger, WEST SPACE, MELBOURNE
Last Night Now, BARRIO, ADELAIDE FESTIVAL
The Box, A PRIVATE LIVING ROOM IN KEW
Metaverse Makeovers, JUE FESTIVAL, SHANGHAI
Sonorities of Site, PUBLICATION LAUNCH
Precipice I & II, CITY OF MELBOURNE
Flyway, NEXT WAVE FESTIVAL
Computer Boy, PERFORMANCE SPACE, SYDNEY

2011
Underground, ROTTERDAM, NETHERLANDS
Fun Run, DARWIN FESTIVAL, DARWIN
Void Love, THE ARTS CENTRE, MELBOURNE
A Quarrelling Pair, ROME, ITALY
Metaverse Makeovers, L’OREAL MELBOURNE FASHION FESTIVAL
Thrashing Without Looking, ARTSHOUSE, MELBOURNE
Hologram Holiday, SUNNYBANK, BRISBANE
Cuttings, LINDEN CENTRE FOR CONTEMPORARY ARTS

2010
So You Think You Can Cow, REGIONAL VICTORIA
System Building, BEIJING
Thrashing Without Looking, PERFORMANCE SPACE, SYDNEY
Yakumo Honjin, EAST COAST TOUR, AUSTRALIA
Waiting to Turn into Puzzles, UNDUE NOISE, BENDIGO
Exile Studio Recording, IWAKI AUDITORIUM, SOUTHBANK
Remote Sense, CASTLEMAINE

2009
Underground, INTERNATIONAL TOUR
Thousands of Bundled Straw, MELBOURNE RECITAL CENTRE
Yakumo Honjin, JAPAN
Bundaleer Forest Weekend, SOUTH AUSTRALIA
So You Think You Can Cow, MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL and BIG WEST
Care Instructions, THE MALTHOUSE and DENMARK
Waiting to Turn Into Puzzles, FRANKSTON ARTS CENTRE
Radiobots, SHEPPARTON
Xantolo, MELBOURNE RECITAL CENTRE
System Building, MELBOURNE / SYDNEY / NETHERLANDS / BERLIN
A Quarrelling Pair, LA MAMA NEW YORK

2008
Care Instructions, LA MAMA at the COURTHOUSE
Aphids Hybrid Arts Residency, PICA
Aphids Reel Music Festival, ACMI
Yelling at Stars, NEXT WAVE FESTIVAL
Listen My Secret Fetish, MIDSUMMA FESTIVAL
So You Think You Can Cow, EXPLORATIONS AT LA MAMA
Underground, INTERSTATE TOUR

2007 
Yakumo Honjin creative development, JAPAN
Underground world tour, HOLLAND, BELGIUM, ITALY, JAPAN, MEXICO
Schallmachine 07, SWITZERLAND
Oribotics [network], MELBOURNE FESTIVAL, FED SQUARE
Music at Mt Egerton, REGIONAL VICTORIA
Val Camonica Pieces, FULL TILT, ARTS CENTRE MELBOURNE
A Quarrelling Pair, CASTLEMAINE STATE FESTIVAL

2006 
New Music Machine, ANAM
Scale, CD LAUNCH
Fight With The Violin, SOUTH AFRICA
A Quarrelling Pair, MALTHOUSE THEATRE
Thousands of Bundled Straw, CD
Nasu [the eggplant project]
Schallmachine 06, MELBOURNE FESTIVAL, FED SQUARE
Fritz Hauser Solodrumming, MELBOURNE FESTIVAL, FED SQUARE

2005
Oribotics [laboratory], SIDNEY MYER ASIA CENTRE
Skin Quartet world tour, AUSTRALIA, USA, BELGIUM, SOUTH AFRICA
Thousands of Bundled Straw, MELBOURNE FESTIVAL

2004
A Quarrelling Pair, LA MAMA in MELBOURNE FESTIVAL
APHIDS’ 10th birthday celebrations
Scale, MUSiCLAB AT LES BAINS:: CONNECTIVE, BELGIUM
Glass Garden, SYDNEY FESTIVAL

2003
Instrument Building, LINDEN
Skin Quartet, MELBOURNE FESTIVAL, ANNA SCHWARTZ GALLERY
Fight With The Violin, MELBOURNE FESTIVAL
Glass Garden, BIG WEST FESTIVAL

2002
Maps Part 2, KOBENHAVN, DENMARK
The Glass Garden, OLD MEAT FACTORY, MARIBYRNONG

2001
Aphids Trio, LINDEN

2000
Maps Part 1, NORTH MELBOURNE TOWN HALL
I Have No Ghosts, ICE CARVING at PUBLIC OFFICE UNDERGROUND CARPARK
Myer residencies, MEAT MARKET
Voices: auditory hallucinations, CD LAUNCH at LINDEN

1999
Pelican Babies, ABC SOUTHBANK CENTRE
Ricefields tour, FRANCE, JAPAN, AUSTRALIA
Radio 1 Samuel Beckett, NORTH MELBOURNE TOWN HALL
Ciurlionis, LITHUANIAN CLUB

1998
Banquet 98, STOP 22 ST KILDA
Ricefields, LA MAMA
Riot of Life with Snuff Puppets

1997
Banquet, STOP 22 ST KILDA
Travelling, LA MAMA

1995
Torta

1994
Pod, DANCEHOUSE
APHIDS OPENING, PRIVATE RESIDENCE