C*town Bling

2005

Visual Arts

Artists: Brook Andrew, James Angus, Kate Beynon, Jon Campbell, Carla Cescon, Adam Cullen, Shaun Gladwell, Matthew Griffin, Bill Henson, Christopher Langton, Fiona Lowry, The Motel Sisters, Kate Murphy, Susan Norrie, Raquel Ormella, Luke Parker, Patricia Piccinini, Prins, Sangeeta Sandrasegar, Tpny Schwensen, Jasmine Steven, Ricky Swallow, Kathy Temin, Blair Trethowan, Ken Unsworth, Regina Walter, Paul Wrigley.

C*town Bling was specifically commissioned for the 2005 launch of Campbelltown Arts Centre and brought together 28 Australian contemporary artists, more than half of whom produced new work in response to the site and its social context. According to the exhibition catalogue, the project addressed issues relevant to young people, including self-identity, relationships and attitudes to substances. It positioned CAC’s opening program as both contemporary and locally engaged, connecting nationally recognised artists with Campbelltown’s youth culture and suburban context. Shaun Gladwell’s contribution, a video work centred on Leumeah skate park, exemplified the exhibition’s attention to local place and lived experience. The project established an ambitious tone for CAC’s commissioning and exhibition model from the outset.