Dear Agnes Contemporary Public Art Program

Dear Agnes - Matto Lucas

‘Dear Agnes’ 2026

We, in partnership with Deakin University, RMIT University, Greater Western Water and Truganina Explosives Reserve Preservation Society (TERPS), invite artists to propose temporary public artworks for the 'Dear Agnes' program, returning to Truganina Explosives Reserve in March 2026.

Up to 12 artists or collectives will be commissioned to create works responding to Agnes Denes’ 'A Forest for Australia' (1998) and the local landscape. Works may be sculptural, community-engaged, or performance-based.

EOIs are open from 2 July to 8 August via SmartyGrants. More details are available on the Creative Opportunities webpage.

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Program background:

The first ‘Dear Agnes’ contemporary public art program featured site-responsive works by 12 artists and collectives in March 2023.

The artworks and public programming responded and paid homage to local landscape-inspired themes and 'A Forest for Australia', a land artwork by one of the world's leading environmental artists, New York-based Agnes Denes, commissioned as part of 'The Bridge' in 1998.

In 1998, Denes was invited by the International Artists’ Museum (Melbourne office) to collaborate on a new project, The Bridge (Construction in Process IV). What resulted was a ‘forest’ of 6000 endangered tree species planted into five spirals at the Greater Western Water Site on Queen Street, Altona Meadows.

To celebrate the artwork's 25th anniversary, the ‘Dear Agnes’ project brought to light the work of this prolific artist, and also provided an ongoing legacy through the generation of new ideas by contemporary public artists in response to Denes’ work.

A series of public programs including artists talks, creative workshops, live music and tours of the 'A Forest for Australia' artwork site were presented alongside the exhibition.

Exhibiting artists in 2023:

Michelle Cox, Chispa Flaskas, Natasha Gardos, Ainslie Peverell & Meg Stewart-Snoad, Caleb Hardy & Jess Phillips, David Murphy, Amal Laala, Overlapping Collective - Forest Keegel & Annee Miron, James Price, PIPS - Catherine Magill & Vivienne Tate, Ana Sanchez, Autumn Tansey, Victoria Vyvyan

For photos and artist bios from the 2023 'Dear Agnes' program, visit @_dear_agnes on Instagram. 

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Top and middle images: A Forest for Australia (Agnes Denes, 1998), Altona Meadows (image credit: Matto Lucas)
Above image: Launch of 'Dear Agnes' at Truganina Explosives Reserve 2023 (image credit: Matto Lucas)


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