Wellness Deities, 2021
Linden new Art, Melbourne
21 May – 22 Aug 2021
This project was assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body.
I created Wellness Deities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and my ongoing interest in collaborative and community-driven art.
During Melbourne’s lockdowns in 2020–2021, I invited people to imagine and draw a deity with a protective power that could help combat the effects of the virus and support wellbeing.
I selected nineteen of these imagined deities as inspiration for ceramic sculptures, each shaped by the drawings and personal stories participants shared with me.
I also commissioned fellow artists to create accompanying texts for each sculpture, capturing some of the emotions and experiences of this extraordinary period.
This project was assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body.
Vipoo Srivilasa on making porcelain Wellness Deities | Art Works / ABC TV
Peaceful Deity Inspired by Nani Puspasari submission Porcelain
Scriptoria Inspired by Caron Eastgate Dann submission Porcelain
The Deflector (Jack) Inspired by Karen Jennings submission Porcelain
The Goddess of Soil Inspired by Vicki Mason submission Porcelain
Seahorse Deity Inspired by Helen Britton submission Porcelain
Protective Mist Inspired by Robyn Phelan submission Porcelain
Foster Inspired by Ann-Maree Gentile submission Porcelain
Deity of Togetherness Inspired by Juliette Hanson submission Porcelain
Chien Tung Deity (a Chinese traditional fortunetelling tool) Inspired by Cyrus Tang submission Porcelain
Dyneinasus Inspired by Thomas Quayle submission Porcelain