Angus McGrath is a Sydney-based artist who works with story, screen, and sound. All these forms make up a single practice via their centring of text, and shared investment in the cinematic, violence, subculture, the limits of knowledge and meaning, failure, and spookiness.
Here is his Instagram.
FILM
Writer/director/editor, (I Saw You) Shine, short (2026) - screened at Brunswick Underground Film Festival, Melbourne (2026)
Writer/director, Unmade Bed, short (2024) - screened See Thru Festival 3, Sydney (2025)
PUBLICATIONS
Essay, “Monsterfucking Udo Kier While He Vomits Blood” for Pang 2 (upcoming)
Essay, Reliquaries exhibition by Tim Hardy, Conners Conner Gallery, Melbourne (upcoming)
Ficto-essay, And then ask the water how you feel exhibition by Eve Fairhall and Madalyn Trewin, Visual Diary Gallery, Melbourne (upcoming)
Fiction, “Passion” for Splinter Journal 4 (2026)
Essay, “Sunset On Australian Film” for Badlands’ In Lieu of a Film Festival Run film companion book (2026)
Essay, “This was to be his garden” for Sydney Review of Books (2026)
Fiction, Garden Reflexxx’s Music film program at Sydney Opera House (2025)
Essay, “Cruising the Closet: Sex, Subculture, and Systems of Policing” for Australasian Journal of American Studies 43.2 (2024)
Essay, booklet for Ecstasy album by Marcus Whale (2024)
Essay, Twins exhibition by Oscar Sulich, Damien Minton Presents Gallery, Sydney (2024)
Prose, “Script for a Film Called Love Is The Devil” for SCAB Mag 13 (2023)
Poem, “Your Cast Will Tire” for Australian Poetry Journal 12.2 (2023)
Ficto-essay, “An Actor Prepares” for Runway Journal (2023)
Essay, “Twenty-First Century Dolls: The Valley of Vox Lux” for Celestial Pop zine for Golden Age Cinema and Bar, Sydney (2023)
Essay, “TLDR” for Overshare Multiplex Film Festival, Melbourne (2023)
Essay, Palindrome exhibition by Tim Hardy, 211-215 Gallery, Melbourne (2022)
Fiction, Helium exhibition by Tim Hardy, publication by no more poetry (2022)
Essay, “Bodies Alone Together” for un. Magazine 15.2 (2021)
Poem, “Portal of Rings” for Cordite 103 (2021)
Poem, booklet for The Hunger album by Marcus Whale (2021)
Poem, “A Possible Motive in Peninsula Fires” for no more poetry’s no no no Mag 1 (2021)
MUSIC
McGrath makes solo electronic music as California Girls, and has released three albums under this name. The most recent, Wheel of Ashes, came out on November 13, 2025 and was FBi Radio’s Album of the Week. His previous, Beat Boy, was released in 2020 and nominated for Record of the Year at the FBi Radio SMAC Awards. His first album, Desire, was released in 2016. California Girls has performed at Dark Mofo in Hobart (2019 and 2025), Rising Festival in Melbourne (2025), House of Mince’s Unknown Pleasures Festival for Mardi Gras in Sydney (2023), and Soft Centre at Carriageworks for Vivid Festival in Sydney (2022). He has supported international touring artists across the country including Molly Nilsson, The Garden, and Hot Chip.
With years of experience in countless bands, McGrath is currently the drummer of post-punk band Perfect Actress, who have performed in Sydney, Melbourne, Wollongong, Newcastle, and Canberra.
McGrath has also performed as a session drummer twice at Phoenix Central Park, first for Melbourne/London rapper Teether, then for Greek/Berlin experimental pop singer Abyss X, both in 2023.
EXHIBITIONS AND PERFORMANCES
Live film score, The Adventures of Prince Achmed (1926), Brunswick Underground Film Festival, Melbourne (2026)
Performance, “SAMHAIN”, Blue Void Hallowe’en at PACT, Sydney (2025)
Performance, “Eternal Strobing Death”, Blue Void at Red Rattler, Sydney (2024)
Solo exhibition, CONSTANT NOTHING, Brand X CoSCS you’re okay Gallery, Sydney (2023)
Collaborative live film score, The Angelic Conversation (1985) with Marcus Whale, Pink Flamingo Cinema, Sydney (2023)
Collaborative exhibition, [Sheep] with Bryan Foong, KINGS Gallery, Melbourne (2023)
Group exhibition, Bodies Wthout Organs curated by Anja Loughhead, Canberra Contemporary Art Space, Canberra (2023)
Group exhibition, Horror Is Nothing Other Than Reality curated by Tesha Malott, Verge Gallery, Sydney (2023)
Collaborative exhibition, Far from heaven with Bryan Foong, Firstdraft Gallery, Sydney (2023)
Performance lecture, “Rimbaud and River”, Queer Powerpoint, Biennale of Sydney at Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney (2022)
Collaborative exhibition, All that heaven allows with Bryan Foong, Firstdraft Gallery, Sydney (2022)
Performance lecture, “Dogboy”, Writing + Concepts, Melbourne (2021)
Performance, “Tomb of Illusions”, Liveworks: Livedreams at Carriageworks, Sydney (2021)
Group exhibition, Held curated by Gigi De Lacy, AD Space, Sydney (2020)
Group exhibition, Tainted Love curated by David Broker, Canberra Contemporary Art Space, Canberra (2019)
Solo exhibition, Semiotics Club, PhotoAcces, Canberra (2019)
Solo exhibition, Car, Tributary Projects, Canberra (2018)
Collaborative exhibition, Beat with Peter Maloney, Tributary Projects, Canberra (2017)
EDUCATION
Masters of Fine Arts by Research, supervised by Snack Syndicate, UNSW, Sydney (2021 to 2023)
Bachelor of Art History and Curatorial Studies with First Class Honours, ANU, Canberra (2014 to 2017)
ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE AND AWARDS
Dramaturg, Atopia performance by Marcus Whale, Campbelltown Arts Centre, Sydney (upcoming)
Facilitator, Queens of the Circulating Library reading and performance event, IO Myers Studio, Sydney (2025)
Introduction, Blue (1993) film by Derek Jarman, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney (2025)
Performer and sound operator, Ecstasy performance by Marcus Whale, Liveworks at Carriageworks, Sydney, and Rising at The Substation, Melbourne (2024 and 2025)
Recipient, Australasian Journal of American Studies Postgraduate Essay Prize (2024)
Facilitator, “Cruising 40 Years” public reading group, Inner West Libraries’ Reading Between the Lines program, Leichhardt Library, Sydney (2024)
Sound designer, IDK dance theatre performance by Force Majeure Theatre Company, Carriageworks, Sydney, and Arts House, Melbourne (2023)
Score composer, The Waves short film by Emma McManus (2023)
Recipient, Kudos Emerging Writer Award, UNSW, Sydney (2022)
Script supervisor, Boléro: A Tale of Tech Support exhibition by Sophie Penkethman-Young, Verge Gallery, Sydney (2021)
Presenter and producer, Sleepless in Sydney and Movies Movies Movies, FBi Radio, Sydney (2020 to 2025)
Participant, Melbourne International Film Festival’s Critics Campus (2020)
Studio tenant, Firstdraft Gallery’s short term Rozelle Studio program, Sydney (2019 to 2020)
Participant, Queer Development Program, Performance Space, Sydney (2019)
Recipient, ANCA Inc. and Art Monthly Critic in Residence (2019)