Visual artist Elizabeth Willing awarded inaugural Judy Wheeler Commission at PICA

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

For the next 10 years the Judy Wheeler Commission, supported by a $300,000 gift from the Simpson family, will fund an annual site-specific work by an Australian-based visual artist that responds to the architecture and history of PICA’s building and site.

With a reputation for transforming the way we think about food and contemporary art, Willing’s large-scale textile work will respond to PICA’s entrance, activating the space by delving into the locale’s olfactory and other sensory offerings, including the Derbarl Yerrigan (Swan River), botanic gardens and wine region.

“The Wheeler Commission is an exceptional platform for creating new art in collaboration with a prominent art institution,” Willing says.

“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.”

The inaugural commission will be launched at PICA next February and will remain in place for a year.