Rookwood General Cemeteries Reserve Trust (RGCRT) has announced the call for entries for the 10th annual exhibition, HIDDEN – A Rookwood Sculpture Walk.
HIDDEN is a unique, signature event for RGCRT, which was established to encourage the public to explore the wonderful gardens and historic buildings that lie within the grounds of Australia’s largest cemetery. To mark its 10th year, 2018 will include a number of new exhibition categories and prize opportunities to broaden its community engagement.
According to RGCRT CEO George Simpson, HIDDEN continues to grow in popularity every year with 2017 visitation doubling to nearly 5000 people.
“HIDDEN is now an established event on the Sydney outdoor sculpture event calendar, attracting a high calibre of artists who are invited to exhibit artworks inspired by Rookwood Cemetery,” said Mr Simpson. “We believe the success of HIDDEN this year was due to the exhibition being extended to include the iconic Elephant House, as well as more activities throughout the duration of the exhibition.
“To maintain the momentum for HIDDEN 2018, its 10th year, RGCRT is introducing additional programs that will further engage with community, youth, education and disadvantaged groups.”
The 2018 HIDDEN exhibition will again be curated by Cassandra Hard-Lawrie, who has a long-term association with the sculpture walk.
RGCRT is excited to announce Sophia Kouyoumdigan, Coordinator of Parramatta Artist’s Studios and Curator of Primavera 2017, and Megan Robson, Assistant Curator at Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, will be on the selection panel in 2018.
This year, in addition to the overarching themes of history, culture, remembrance and love, RGCRT is interested in applications that are inspired by HIDDEN’s 10th anniversary. This may include (but, is not limited to) notions relating to the changing role of public interaction with cemeteries over the past 10 years (such as the reinvention of ‘graveyards’ into active parklands) and/or an exploration of where we see ourselves as a community, in terms of conversations around end of life and how cemeteries could look in the future.
The annual exhibition runs across four weeks from 1 September to 1 October 2018.
Calls for entries are open until 12 March 2018. For further information or queries regarding the exhibition or application process, HIDDEN 2018 Curator, Cassandra Hard Lawrie, can be contacted on 0425 327 590 or curator@rookwoodcemetery.com.au
To view work from previous HIDDEN exhibitions, visit www.hiddeninrookwood.com.au
MEDIA ENQUIRIES: for event information or interviews, please contact:
Kim Viney or Roberta Marcroft, Write Away Communication + Events
T: 02 9978 1400, E: kim_viney@writeaway.com.au, roberta@writeaway.com.au
Image: Winning artwork for HIDDEN – A Rookwood Sculpture Walk 2017: One Thousand Crane Wishes by Luke Nguyen.
