A new 50m long Snakes and Ladders artwork is set to get locals and visitors jumping at Sydney Olympic Park’s Station Square during this year’s Royal Easter Show.

Sydney artists Digby Webster and Nadia Odlum have joined forces to create Snakes and Ladders, a large-scale mural on the ground outside the entrance to the Olympic Park’s train station, which will feature as a new temporary art installation.

Visitors to Station Square will be able to play the giant game by bringing their own dice or using a custom-made digital ‘Digby Dice’ accessible onsite by using a QR code.
Digby – who lives with disability – is an accomplished artist and a finalist in last year’s Archibald Prize. Digby has painted the gigantic creatures, incorporating native animal references and his distinctive colourful style. Nadia – an award-winning multidisciplinary artist from Western Sydney who has exhibited locally and internationally – has painted the ladders with a crooked 3-D effect.

The project is a partnership between Nadia, Digby, Sydney Olympic Park Authority and Accessible Arts, which aims to bring joy and playfulness to this public space.

Nadia Odlum: “Sydney Olympic Park is a wonderful fusion of urban architecture and native plants and animals, so we’ve used that as the inspiration for this particular artwork.”

Digby Webster: “I think it brings lots of joy and fun and vibrancy. It is a good place for people to play. Nadia and I had a lot of fun making this pavement game.”

Chief Executive of Placemaking NSW Anita Mitchell said art adds colour, wonder, delight and life to our treasured public spaces.

“This giant mural is an invitation to our locals and visitors to embrace that inner child and connect with each other in a playful experience that is both fun and accessible,” shared Ms Mitchell.

“We are committed to activating our public spaces at Sydney Olympic Park with diverse and inclusive opportunities and are thrilled to be working with the talented and creative Digby and Nadia on this wonderful new artwork.”

Accessible Arts Interim CEO Morwenna Collett: “It’s always exciting to have the unique and compelling creativity of artists with disability showcased in public commissions such as this, and the incorporation of accessible digital elements means everyone can enjoy the work.”

Other accessible elements of the artwork include digital Auslan interpretation and audio description of the artwork for visitors who are d/Deaf or have vision impairment.

The artwork “Snakes and Ladders” will remain in place for six months and is an open invitation for Sydney to come and play.

For more information about the mural and the artists, please visit: https://www.sydneyolympicpark.com.au/Things-to-Do/arts-and-culture/snakes-and-ladders-public-art

About The Artists

Digby Webster
Digby Webster is a visual artist with a career spanning over fifteen years. His work is characterised by bright, expressive colours and patterns, and he often draws inspiration from film and mythology. Digby works in materials as diverse as drawing, painting, dance and film. Recent achievements include being a 2020 Archibald Prize finalist at the Art Gallery of NSW, and he has exhibited at numerous galleries and exhibitions including Tin Sheds Gallery, Riverside Theatre Parramatta, DNA Projects Chippendale, Annandale Creative Arts Centre and at the Opera House as part of Accessible Arts’ AART.BOXX. He’s also featured in a short film on ABC iView titled Digby Ernest Webster.

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Nadia Odlum
Nadia Odlum is a multidisciplinary artist from Western Sydney. She creates playful and immersive works that explore our shared relationships with urban space. Often working site-specifically, her output spans sculpture, drawing, painting, installation and performance. Odlum’s work has been shown in galleries and public spaces around the world. These include exhibitions at the Art Gallery of NSW, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia and New York Transit Museum, as well as public art commissions for Urban Art Projects and Kaldor Public Art Projects. Significant awards include the Helen Lempriere Scholarship and the Dyason Bequest. She is a 2021 Artist in Residence at Parramatta Artists’ Studios x Rydalmere. http://www.nadiaodlum.com/

ENDS

Image Description: In the middle is an image of a young man with short dark hair wearing an orange T-shirt and and a young woman with short blonde hair wearing a a black T-shirt. On the left are close up images of colourful artworks on paving of a lizard and a ladybird. On the right is an aerial view of the full artwork which resembles a giant snake.

Media Contact:
Michael Badorrek, Accessible Arts 0431 594 007
Savannah Robinson, Sydney Olympic Park Authority 0466 255 227