Exhibition Now Over for 2017
(26 August - 24 September)
HIDDEN is a free, public outdoor sculpture exhibition that takes place every year amongst the gardens and graves in one of the oldest sections of the Cemetery.
In 2017 Rookwood Cemetery has been commemorating 150 years, with the first burial having taken place in 1867. Today Rookwood caters for many different religious and cultural groups. More than a million cars pass through each year.
The exhibition is a platform for community engagement, and while it remains respectful of its purpose and place, it aims to de-mystify some of the misconceptions surrounding cemeteries as dark and intimidating settings. It was established to enable the greater community to explore Rookwood Cemetery - the oldest, largest and most multicultural cemetery in Australia.
To meet its growing visition and media profile, HIDDEN 2017 increased its public program (HIDDEN Happenings), coinciding with the exhibition.
This year, the Trust was interested in exhibiting sculptures that respond to themes surrounding the Rookwood site, such as history, culture, remembrance and love. This could include grief, loss, mourning, spirituality, the environment, and different cultural beliefs around burial and memorialisation. We were also intersested in artworks that have been inspired by Rookwood Cemetery’s 150th anniversary. This may include (but, is not limited to) notions relating to Rookwood’s conception, development and evolution; cultural concepts specific to important eras within Rookwood’s history (e.g. the Victorian period); and the importance of commemorative events to celebrate love and life.
Artists chose to approach our themes in a representational, conceptual, symbolic or abstract way.