Image: Courtesy of the artist
January 27 - March 20, 2026
Opening event: Friday, February 6, 5:30-7:30pm
Gallery I, 154 Angas St, Kaurna Yarta
Free entry, all welcome
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You can find Christian’s exhibition in The Mill’s Foyer, located at 154 Angas St, Kaurna Yarta (Adelaide).
The Mill is open Monday-Friday, 10am-4pm.
Accessibility
The Mill’s entrance has a small step into the building. We have a ramp available, please ring the doorbell and our friendly team will assist you.
During gallery hours, our entrance will be unlocked. If the door is closed, please ring the doorbell to alert our team.
The Mill has concrete flooring throughout with no internal steps and a disability toilet on site.
Read more in-depth information on our accessibility web page.The Mill has concrete flooring throughout with no internal steps and a disability toilet on site.
Read more in-depth information on our accessibility web page.
We are excited to present The House of a Thousand Faces, a new solo exhibition by multidisciplinary artist Christian Best. The first installment in his series of photographic portraits, Christian introduces us to 36 of his planned 1000 portraits; each joyful personality captured is a contact or connection from Chris’ life and travels.
In The House of a Thousand Faces we are greeted by street performers in Scotland, film crew in Fiji, housemates, friends, artists and collaborators. Each image is a point of connection with Chris, who visually shares stories about community and friendship from around the globe. Together the images create a multiplicity, within which there is beauty in the non-hierarchical. Every face represents a moment of generosity, the subject shares a smile or pose, as they hand trust to the photographer to capture their essence.
As the first iteration of an ongoing project, there is a sense of infinite possibility. Each portrait is framed in a hand made frame, a new skill acquired by Chris in the making of this exhibition.
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Christian Best is a Kaurna based artist with unknown origins. For the past 6 years Chris has thrown himself into the arts with reckless abandon. His artistic practice is driven by gratitude and audacity and spans a multitude of different outlets.
Since arriving in Adelaide, Chris has spent time in the following roles: the face of South Australian tourism, a champion for under represented voices, an actor on stage and on screen, a writer in association with The State Theatre of South Australia, a consultant for developing artistic practices, a writer for Festival City Adelaide, a reviewer for the Fringe, a mentor for young writers through Soul Lounge, DREAM BIG, OzAsia, an english tutor to Australian immigrants, a poet for Red Room Poetry, a judge for the South Australian Library Awards, and a photographer documenting life and events in the surrounding area.
Chris is working on two large scale projects concurrently. As a founding member of the South Australian Puppetry Network, Chris is currently involved in the build of a 4-meter tall puppet with support from the Australian Migrant Resource Center. The puppet is being built in observance of 2026 as the Year of the Puppet.
At the same time, Chris is working to complete this project, The House of a Thousand Faces. This is the first of a multi series exhibition that will culminate in one immense exhibition featuring one thousand photos in one thousand handmade picture frames. In this endeavour he is in need of support. If you’re interested in helping, please reach out.
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July 2024. I’d just been made redundant by a company whose employment was keeping me in the country on a work visa. Without any other options I sold all my belongings and prepared to leave. I boarded a one way flight with my camera and partner, Cat, to Scotland. For how long, I did not know.
The idea for The House of a Thousand Faces sprouted when I learned about a fun little loophole for Americans in Scotland that stipulates “from the day you land in the UK, you can work in the arts for up to 30 days without a visa”. The idea was that if I could find a venue willing to let me tape 1,000 portraits to their walls then I could charge for entry. That could allow me to eat for a little while, at least for the duration of the festival. The lovely people at the Joker and the Thief agreed but The House never happened and I ended up selling sausages for an English couple instead.
Fast forward 10 months, one juggling convention, three continents and five geriatric cats later, and I made it back home to Adelaide. I feel like I’ve been everywhere; like I’ve lived 20 years in one. While I was displaced I found myself clinging to things that I had control over. For almost a year that was exclusively my camera. And now here we are. What you see before you is the very first instalment in a series of what will be 1,000 portraits.
Each one of these pieces represents someone like you. Someone who decided, even for an instant, that it was ok for me to take up space. This is my monument to them, and to you, for hosting me as I continue to occupy your space for a little while.
This exhibition has support from
