Hobsons Bay City Council and project partners are inviting artists to develop temporary public artworks for the triennial ‘Dear Agnes’ contemporary public art program to be held at Truganina Explosives Reserve in Altona during March 2026.
Up to twelve artists or collectives will be commissioned to create temporary site-specific artworks that respond to the work 'A Forest for Australia' (1998) by Agnes Denes and the surrounding landscapes of Altona and Altona Meadows.
Works must be one of the following:
- A physical presence in the public realm
- A process-based artwork that directly engages the local community
- A performance work that is activated during exhibition opening hours
Note: All selected artists will be required to manage artworks when on site. Successful applicants will be required to attend a site induction to scope sites and/or refine their proposals in greater detail prior to creating works.
The ‘Dear Agnes’ contemporary public art program site will be activated for nine days over three weeks during March 2026. A series of public programs will be presented alongside the exhibition.
Prospective artists will be able to visit the exhibition site during the monthly open day on Sunday 6 July or 3 August 2025 prior to completing an application. We ask that you inform us if you are planning to do this via email arts@hobsonsbay.vic.gov.au.
Applications will be reviewed and selected by the partnership consortia.
A payment of up to $5,000.00 + GST will be paid to participating artists/arts collectives per project. This payment is to fund artists fees and all associated costs in developing and delivering a site-specific temporary public artwork.
Expression of Interests can be submitted 3pm Friday 8 August 2025. Prior to submitting an EOI, applicants must read the Artist Brief before submitting their application.
The EOI must include:
- Maximum of six Images of previous artworks indicative of applicant’s public art practice with a brief synopsis of the work
- Current CV and short biography of artist or collective (one page per artist)
- Optional – Maximum one-page preliminary proposal that articulates intended medium and how the proposed work may respond to Agnes Denes work, ‘A Forest for Australia’ (1998) and/or the surrounding environment of Altona and Altona Meadows
For further information, contact the Arts Culture & Heritage Team on 1300 179 944 or email: arts@hobsonsbay.vic.gov.au.
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