Arts student awarded Rhodes Australia-at-Large Scholarship 2025
University of Melbourne Bachelor of Arts student Michael Gentle has won a 2025 Rhodes Scholarship Australia-at-Large to study at Oxford University.
The prestigious scholarship was announced by the Chair of the Selection Committee, Justice Michelle Gordon AC, High Court of Australia, at an event at Australian National University, Canberra yesterday.
At Oxford, Michael intends to study a Master of Studies in History of Art and Visual Culture and a Master of Studies in World Literatures in English. Michael said the two reflect his interest in the literary and the visual, vehicles prominent in the shaping, disintegrating and muddying of national identities.
“In becoming a Rhodes Scholar, I hope to explore where the Australiana is situated on a global platform in visual and literary codes. The international forum that both the Rhodes and Oxford facilitates will push me to consider the global ramifications of Australian affairs,” Michael said.
“Within this context, I intend to bring issues relating to the First Peoples of this continent to the fore, prioritising Indigenous methodologies and knowledges in exchange with other scholars and the broader community. In exercising this dialogue, I hope to bridge the fjord between First Peoples and non-Indigenous communities, particularly through curatorial and art-historical platforms. As a man of English convict, Irish and Nyoongar ancestry - with ancestral connections to Minang Boodja - questions of national identity have had an enduring influence on my curatorial and art-historical research.”
Michael was inspired to become a Rhodes Scholar through the support he received during his studies.
“The connective tissue between Oxford University and Australia is profound; the former playing a fundamental role in constructing the visual cultures and national mood across the continent of Australia. It was this, coupled with the yearning to learn from and contribute to a global community of thinkers that propelled me to consider Rhodes.
“Support from academic staff and peers at the University of Melbourne were also very generous with their time, illustrating the potentiality of the Rhodes Scholarship and how this would support my ambitions.”
University of Melbourne Dean of Arts Professor Jennifer Balint congratulated Michael on his Rhodes Scholarship.
“We are immensely proud of Michael and this exceptional achievement. Michael is a fine scholar who has already made outstanding contributions to the creative and cultural sectors in Australia. I'm delighted that Michael will have the chance to engage with scholars from across the globe to deepen explorations of literary and visual culture to pursue the significant ambition of prioritising Indigenous methodologies and knowledge and using curatorial and art-historical platforms as a bridge between First Peoples and non-Indigenous communities.
“I wish Michael every success during his time at Oxford and look forward to seeing where this opportunity takes him. The University of Melbourne looks forward to staying in contact with him.”
Each year, nine Rhodes Scholarships are available for outstanding Australians to study at the University of Oxford. One Rhodes Scholarship is offered in each of the states, and three for Australia at large.
