Wesley Uniting Church in the City, one of Perth’s oldest and most iconic churches, is once again presenting the Stations of the Cross Art Exhibition this Easter. Fifteen Western Australian visual artists, representing some of our finest creative talent, have been invited to participate in this year’s event. The artists have each been challenged to select a Station that follows the final days of the life of Jesus and forms part of the traditional Easter narrative. The individual artworks will reflect the artist’s own interpretation of the Bible story, while collectively forming an exhibition that promises to take visitors on a journey around the true meaning and spirit of Easter.
In response to the human drama played out on the traditional narrative of the Easter story, this year artists have found contemporary analogies in the issue of Aboriginal deaths in custody, the plight of Australians on death row in Bali and the experience of Australian diggers in the First and Second World Wars.
Rev Craig Collas is the Wesley Church’s minister and the person responsible for presenting the Stations of the Cross exhibition in Perth. His vision for this event, now in its sixth appearance, is an open one – he hopes audiences of all spiritual persuasion can enjoy the imagination, imagery and conversation that the unique works of art offer.
“As visitors to Wesley see these artworks, my hope is that they will be able to find their own entry point and engage with the life and journey of Jesus in a way that connects to their own personal journey. I also hope that they will be able to share their journey through conversation with others, and in that context, come closer to the love and life that this experience offers.”
Stations of the Cross 2015 promises to be as successful as ever thanks to the line up of this year’s participating artists. New and diverse works by Julie Dowling, Janine McAullay Bott, Simon Gilby, Linda van der Merwe, Paul Trinidad, Amanda Marsh, Geoff Overheu, Peter Dailey, Michael Doherty, Antony Muia, Nalda Searles, Julian Poon, Indra Geidans, Robert Cleworth and Denise Brown will all be on show.
Stations of the Cross 2015 will open at Wesley Uniting Church in the City, on the corner of Hay and William Streets, at 6pm on Friday 27th March 2015. The exhibition continues from Saturday 28th until Easter Monday, 6th April and is open daily from 9.00am to 5.00pm. Entry is free, as are daily guided tours of the exhibition.