Jo Pickup

ArtsHub's Arts Feature Writer Jo Pickup is based in Perth. An arts writer and manager, she has worked as a journalist and broadcaster for media such as the ABC, RTRFM and The West Australian newspaper, contributing media content and commentary on art, culture and design. She has also worked for arts organisations such as Fremantle Arts Centre, STRUT dance, and the Aboriginal Arts Centre Hub of WA, as well as being a sessional arts lecturer at The Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA).

Jo Pickup's Latest Articles

Performers from Chilean theatre company Silencio Blanco at the conclusion of Antuco at the 2026 Theater Der Welt festival in Germany, 2026. Photo: Johannes Richter / Theater Der Welt.
Interviews

Theatre of the World interview: the Chilean artists tapping into puppetry’s power

Chilean theatre company Silencio Blanco uses puppetry to create powerful, documentary-style theatre works that are now touring the world.

Khaled Sabsabi's artwork conference of one's self, 2026 installed at the Australia Pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale. A wall-size video screen projection showing abstract purple patterns. Three viewers stand in a darkened space around it.
Features

Can this year’s Venice Biennale artists avoid politics amid protests and pavilion closures?

The protests continue to overshadow the art at this year’s Venice Biennale. Can its exhibiting artists really stay out of…

2026 Venice Biennale: artist Gabrielle Goliath and curator Ingrid Masondo.
News

Censorship concerns sparked as another Venice Biennale artist cancelled

South Africa’s Arts and Culture Minister has cancelled his country’s chosen project for the 2026 Venice Biennale, reigniting arts censorship…

New words for a new world. Image: Yura Timoshenko on Unsplash.
Analysis

Skibidi, work-spouse, mouse-jiggler: what Cambridge Dictionary’s new words tell us

Cambridge Dictionary has added 6,000 new words – but what do they tell us about cultural changes?

Exploitative, sexualised adult games content has long been an issue in the gaming sector. Image: Cash Macanaya/ Unsplash.
Analysis

‘Harmful’ adult games: should credit card companies decide what we play?

Criticism has erupted around corporations' moves to control morally contested adult games content.

small scale performance: three people sitting around a table at a library. One person has their back to the camera and is posing to the other two who are the audience members in a small scale performance work.
Features

Small is beautiful, but can small-scale programming survive within growth markets?

As blockbuster shows fill up arts calendars everywhere, the value of smaller scale arts projects is being neglected to the…

christmas music: colourful photo of three people's legs hanging off a loungeroom sofa, with an 1980s style ghettoblaster stereo on the floor in front of their feet.
Features

Why we can’t get enough of Kate Bush, and other under-recognised Christmas ‘hits’, at this time of year

Who needs 'Jingle Bells' when you could have Kate Bush? In honour of music artists we love, ArtsHub has compiled…

Artshub Logo
Opinions & Analysis

‘Banana-taped-to-wall’ artwork no longer a joke after sale turns it into jarring symbol of societal inequity

A cryptocurrency millionaire’s actions after purchasing a famous conceptual artwork has transformed this piece into a disturbing commentary on widening…

a grey sign that says "possibility everywhere"
Career Advice

How I manage my portfolio career in the arts (part 1)

How do some of the best arts multi-taskers in the business do it? ArtsHub profiles a selection of portfolio career…

social media hacking: The hand of a white male person holding a smartphone displaying a range of social media icons on its screen against a black background.
Features

Rise of social media hacking devastating creative small businesses

A timely warning for all creative professionals: social media account hacking is rising, and your small business may be more…

1 2 3 4