Four artists (three of them locally based) will create artworks for the Canberra Hospital Expansion Project’s new Critical Services Building.
Hannah Quinlivan will create artwork for the main public corridor, linking the new Welcome Hall to the Critical Services Building. Her artwork celebrates the significant bodies of water in and around Canberra – the Murrumbidgee, its tributaries, and Lake Burley Griffin – and the life that they bring to the city.
Ms Quinlivan is an established Canberra artist whose practice uses linework, motion, and space to expand the field of drawing, spanning two, three, and four dimensions.
Kate Vassallo will create Bloom, a suite of two-dimensional artwork, made from textures and materials, for walls in patient bays, visitor waiting areas, staff stations, and corridors. The theme is connection to country, and will evoke a happy and positive environment and sensations of calmness, wonder, and awe.
Ms Vassallo is a Maltese-Australian artist based in Canberra.
Musonga Mbogo will create two-dimensional wall artworks and an interactive sculptural play wall for the emergency department paediatric spaces. Through the use of imaginative images and text in his signature style, Mr Mgobo will invite audiences to explore Canberra’s beloved icons and histories. While the artwork may seem simplistic, it is intricate and full of meaning, distracts children, and facilitates learning.
Mr Mbogo is an emerging Canberra artist of Zimbabwean and Tanzanian heritage. He focuses on diversity, celebrating identity, and a sense of self, and aims to create a place where everyone feels welcome.
Peta Kruger will sculpt interactive works for an outdoor courtyard and green space. These works are crafted from bricks, glazed ceramic tiles, glass, and LED lights, which will provide a soothing, elegant feel after dark.
“This is a harmonious and engaging artwork that provides some distraction and creates a playful environment for kids to safely explore,” Ms Kruger said. “Visitors can sit and children can play on the bricks.”
Ms Kruger is an Adelaide-based artist who creates bright and playful sculptural works informed by her previous experience as a graphic and jewellery designer.
ACT health minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said the artworks will be suitable for people with dementia and sensory disabilities such as autism.
“It’s fantastic we have so many Canberra based artists commissioned for this project,” ACT arts minister Tara Cheyne said.
“We wanted the Canberra community to have the chance to really put their stamp on the new facilities they will use, and I look forward to seeing the artwork of local Canberrans feature prominently in this new hospital building.”
The ACT Government invested $1.8 million to create inclusive, diverse art that enhances wellbeing.
Last year, the ACT Government engaged an art consultant, Creative Road, to identify suitable artists for the Canberra Hospital Expansion Project.
An expert panel that included representatives from Arts ACT, Healthcare Consumers Association, Canberra Hospital Foundation, assessed artists’ concept proposals.
Artists will work intensively over the coming months with Creative Road, architectural partner BVN, and hospital delivery partner Multiplex to finalise their art for installation in the new Critical Services Building.
In the coming months, First Nation artists will be appointed to create artworks for the Critical Services Building’s Welcome Hall, the new focal point and main reception of the hospital campus.
