Elizabeth Willing (QLD) has received the inaugural Judy Wheeler Commission to produce a site-specific work for the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts (PICA) in 2023. 

Willing’s work will respond to PICA’s entrance, defining how visitors engage with the space as they step in from Perth’s vibrant cultural centre.

Supported by a $300,000 gift from the Simpson family, the Judy Wheeler Commission funds an annual site-specific work by an Australian-based visual artist that responds to the architecture and history of PICA’s building and site, running over a 10-year period.

The panel, consisting of Danjoo Koorliny Co-Director Carol Innes; Curtin University’s Director of Engagement, Impact and Indigenous School of Media, Creative Arts and Social Inquiry Dr Christina Chau; UNSW Galleries Director José Da Silva; and PICA Curator Sarah Wall, shortlisted proposals from over 40 entries with the final selection made by PICA’s programming and exhibition teams. 

The inaugural recipient, Willing, has developed a reputation for transforming the way we think about food and contemporary art – creating thoughtful, multisensory works where food is simultaneously medium and subject.

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”. 

“The Wheeler Commission is an exceptional platform for creating new art in collaboration with a prominent art institution. Accepting the inaugural commission is a privilege, and I appreciate the trust placed in me by the selection panel and PICA,” Willing said. 

“My artwork for the Wheeler Commission is closely linked to the architecture and sensory experience of the site, while remaining anchored in my ongoing investigations of hospitality.” 

“Visitors who cross this threshold are choosing to take in and digest uncommon experiences.”

Engaging with PICA’s entrance, 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. 

PICA Curator Sarah Wall said: “We selected Elizabeth for her compelling proposal that explores the topic of hospitality, at an individual as well as institutional level.”

“Inspired by the architecture of the gallery’s entrance way, her proposal promises to engage both the building and audiences in surprising and thought-provoking ways. We could not be more excited to be working with Elizabeth on realising her commission at PICA.”

PICA Director Amy Barrett-Lennard said the inaugural commission marked a significant turning point for PICA as an institution and Perth as a cultural city.

“Thanks to the Simpson family’s generous gift of $300,000 – the largest in PICA’s history – PICA will work with a new artist annually to activate spaces that are not typically seen as gallery spaces yet define visitors’ experiences as they enter and exit the building, such as the entrance lobby, foyer and stairwell,” Barrett-Lennard said. 

PICA will work with Willing to develop the work throughout July to December this year.

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

Image: Elizabeth Willing, Strawberry Thief, 2018, image courtesy Museum Of Brisbane, photo: David Kelly