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Headshots of three people. On the left is a woman with long dark hair with purple highlights wearing a black top and red-framed glasses. In the middle is a man with pink hair wearing a floral patterned shirt. On the right is a woman with short blonde hair wearing a black top and large hoop earrings.  

3 Artists To Explore Disability In New Video Artworks For Sydney’s MCA

Three artists with disability have been selected to produce new video artworks for a world premiere season at Sydney’s Museum of Contemporary Art later this year.

Sue Jo Wright, Sarah Houbolt and Robert Sherwood Duffield will team up with experienced video artists Dr Zanny Begg and New-York-based Australian duo Soda_Jerk to create the artworks as part of Accessible Arts’ ArtScreen 2021 initiative.

With a budget of $20,000, each artist will deliver an experimental work which focuses on their respective experiences of disability which include vision impairment, depression and being Deaf.

The three artworks will have a world premiere season at the MCA in December 2021 to mark this year’s International Day Of People With Disability. Video art streaming service Prototype will have an option to screen the artworks online. The initiative is also being supported by Western Sydney community creative hub I.C.E. as well as students from Bus Stop Films, Accessible Film Studies Program. The project is being co-funded by the City of Sydney and the NSW Government through Create NSW.

Accessible Arts Interim CEO Morwenna Collett: “Our ArtScreen program is about levelling the creative playing field for artists with disability because they don’t always get to develop their creativity and careers in the same way as artists without disability due to negative attitudes and other barriers.

“ArtScreen addresses this by providing a valuable opportunity for artists with disability to explore the creative potential of video art and to advance their careers by having their work screened professionally at the MCA and on Prototype.

“Congratulations to Sue Jo, Sarah and Robert on being selected to work with Zanny and Soda_Jerk, and we look forward to experiencing their compelling new artworks when they premiere at the MCA in December.”

Sue Jo Wright (pictured left)

Sue Jo Wright is a Sydney-based artist working primarily with photography, video, and textiles which explore her identity as a Deaf person. Sue creates artworks which break down the barriers between the “hearing’ and ‘Deaf’ worlds and which offer the wider community a glimpse into the identity of the Deaf community.  Sue’s ArtScreen artwork will explore polarised perspectives over the concept of communication from both Deaf and hearing perspectives.

Sarah Houbolt (pictured right)

Sydney-based Sarah Houbolt is an internationally acclaimed actor, dancer and physical theatre performer who career has seen her work with Cirque du Soleil, directors George Miller and Leah Purcell and leading companies in New York, New Zealand and the UK. Sarah has also created video and audio works for the MCA, Sydney Biennale and Perth Festival. Sarah’s ArtScreen artwork will examine the extended body and wearable technology in relation to blindness and unique image.

Robert Sherwood Duffield (pictured centre)

Robert Sherwood Duffield is a Wagga Wagga-based multi-disciplinary artist with a career spanning more than 40 years. Robert has exhibited both nationally and Internationally, is represented in both public and private collections and is the recipient of a numerous awards, prizes and commissions. Robert’s artworks are an investigation into media and the ‘self’ and explore his chronic condition of depression. Robert’s ArtScreen artwork will attempt to convey the sense of isolation, fragmentation and alienation he experiences as a result of depression.

To find out more about the ArtScreen 2021 initiative please visit:  https://aarts.net.au/news/new-video-art-initiative-to-focus-on-artists-with-disability/

ENDS

Image Description: Headshots of three people. On the left is a woman with long dark hair with purple highlights wearing a black top and red-framed glasses. In the middle is a man with pink hair wearing a floral patterned shirt. On the right is a woman with short blonde hair wearing a black top and large hoop earrings.

Facebook Post: 3 artists with disability have been selected to produce new video artworks for a world premiere season at Sydney’s Museum of Contemporary Art in Dec. Sue Jo Wright, Sarah Houbolt and Robert Sherwood Duffield will create the artworks as part of Accessible Arts’ ArtScreen 2021 initiative. The experimental artworks will explore experiences of disability related to include vision impairment, depression and being Deaf. https://aarts.net.au/#ArtScreen2021 #AccessibleArts #Arts #Disability #VideoArt

Twitter Post: 3 artists with disability have been selected to produce new video artworks for a world premiere season at Sydney’s MCA in Dec. Sue Jo Wright, Sarah Houbolt and Robert Sherwood Duffield will create the artworks as part of Accessible Arts’ ArtScreen 2021 initiative. https://aarts.net.au/#ArtScreen2021 #AccessibleArts #Arts #Disability #VideoArt