Elizabeth Willing – Judy Wheeler Commission at PICA

Congratulations to Elizabeth Willing who has just been awarded the inaugural Judy Wheeler Commission by Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts (PICA) for 2023. The site-specific work responds to PICA’s entrance, defining how visitors engage with the space as they step in from Perth’s vibrant cultural centre.

With her practice’s strong connections to food and hospitality, Willing embraced PICA’s institutional entrance way as a meaningful gesture that acts both as a physical entrance and a space that performs the “welcome of hospitality”.
Willing will develop a large-scale textile work that delves into the Perth locale’s olfactory and sensory offerings, such as the nearby Derbarl Yerrigan (Swan River), botanic gardens, and wine region. From these explorations she will create an inventory of symbols that form their own performative, multisensory lexicon.

The inaugural commission will be launched in February 2023 and will remain in place for a one-year period. Read more at PICA.

Image: Elizabeth Willing, courtesy Museum Of Brisbane, photo: David Kelly.