Uniting Church in the City, Wesley Perth, one of the oldest and iconic churches in Perth, is for the eighth time preparing to present the Stations of the Cross Art Exhibition at Easter.
This year, the commissioned artists – who hail from diverse cultural and religious backgrounds – were asked to focus on the embodiment of humanity within their works and to engage in interfaith dialogue by exploring universal experiences such as loss, grief, oppression and mortality. Through a variety of forms – including painting, sculpture, photography and textiles – the exhibition bridges between sacred stories and the issues and events that are present in our contemporary world.
Curated by Claire Bushby, the exhibition will feature newly commissioned artworks by fifteen Western Australian contemporary artists. The artworks correspond to the traditional Easter story and ritual of the ‘Stations of the Cross’.
While pertaining to a religious narrative of the final days in the life of Jesus, participating artists each interpret a single ‘station’ through their personal and unique understanding of Easter and the human experiences and themes that underlie it.
The vision of Rev Craig Collas, minister at Uniting Church in the City, is an open one – he hopes audiences of all spiritual persuasions can enjoy the imagination, imagery and conversation that the unique works of art will offer.
“As visitors to Wesley see the 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,” he said.
“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 2017 will open at Uniting Church in the City, Wesley Perth on the corner of William and Hay Streets, at 6.00pm on Friday 7 April. Professor Ted Snell, chair of the Visual Arts Board of the Australia Council and director of the Cultural Precinct at the University of Western Australia, will officially open the exhibition.
The exhibition will continue from Saturday 8 to Monday 17 April and will be open daily from 9.00am to 5.00pm.
Entry will be free, as will be guided tours of the exhibition.
For more information contact Rev Craig Collas on 6103 4222 or email admin@ucic.org.au.
For a list of the participating artists visit www.perthunitingchurch.org.au.