Regional Arts Triennial: Open Borders

Since 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic spread, the presence of borders, and the fact that they can be closed and opened, has had innumerable impacts on our physical and psychological lives.

Regional borders within WA were once accepted as a way of describing the different geographic areas of this huge state, or of delineating government jurisdictions but since COVID-19 many indigenous communities have been protected by borders, and some towns sought the border to isolate from the risks of COVID-19.

This theme of Open Borders was explored in 2022 through the work of over 300 artists involved in 16 group exhibitions and performances developed and presented throughout regional Western Australia as part of the Mycelium project – a project in the regional arts sector of Western Australia developed by Southern Forest Arts to nurture resilience and sustainability during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This Open Borders survey exhibition is co-curated by Albany-based independent curator Annette Davis in conjunction with the John Curtin Gallery’s Lia McKnight and Jane King and builds upon the experience and connections developed through The Alternative Archive – the successful state-wide survey of regional arts practice, presented in 2021.