PSYCHOPOMP: Zoe Milah DeJesus at GoGo Bar, Chin Chin
An exhibition of strange companions, subconscious worlds and the spaces in which we encounter art.
WRITTEN BY FOUNDER/DIRECTOR IVY ROSE RITCHENS
This October, PROJECT 02 by IVY RC. returns to GoGo Bar, Chin Chin, presenting PSYCHOPOMP, a new collection of paintings by Narrm/Melbourne-based artist Zoe Milah DeJesus.
Marking our second collaboration with Chin Chin, the exhibition brings Zoe's curious, otherworldly creatures into one of Melbourne's most familiar hospitality spaces. It's an opportunity to experience contemporary art outside the traditional gallery setting.
In Jungian psychology, a psychopomp acts as a guide between the conscious and unconscious mind, helping us navigate periods of transformation, uncertainty and change. For Zoe, these guides take the form of strange, often tender creatures that emerge from her subconscious. Part guardian, part imagined companion, they occupy a space somewhere between the familiar and the fantastical. Each creature carries its own presence and personality. They are protective figures, offering company through moments of uncertainty and inviting us to pay closer attention to our inner worlds.
There's something particularly interesting about the relationship Zoe proposes between an artwork and its eventual owner. When someone feels drawn to one of these creatures, a new relationship begins. A figure that originated in the artist's imagination finds a place in somebody else's life, carrying with it an entirely new set of associations and meanings.
This exhibition also continues a conversation we've been exploring through PROJECT 02, where contemporary art can be encountered, and how those environments shape our relationship with it.
Galleries remain essential spaces for engaging with art, but they're not the only places meaningful encounters can happen. There's a particular pleasure in coming across something unexpected in a familiar setting. Hospitality spaces offer a different rhythm of looking. People arrive without necessarily intending to see an exhibition and the experience of the artwork becomes part of a broader social encounter. Our ongoing collaboration with Chin Chin is an opportunity to bring emerging artistic practices into these everyday cultural spaces and creating opportunities for early-career artists to present their work, develop new audiences and connect with collectors in ways that extend beyond a conventional exhibition model.
Exhibition details
PSYCHOPOMP
Zoe Milah DeJesus
Presented by PROJECT 02 by IVY RC. in collaboration with Chin Chin
On view: From Friday 16 October 2026
Location: GoGo Bar, Chin Chin, Melbourne
Intimate preview: Saturday 17 October, 11am
The full collection is available to explore and collect online through PROJECT 02.