Dear Agnes contemporary public art program returns to Truganina Explosives Reserve in 2026, featuring new works by 12 artists and collectives that pay homage to the land artwork A Forest for Australia and respond to local landscapes and environmental themes.
A Forest for Australia, by pioneering artist Agnes Denes, was commissioned in 1998. Situated within the environs of the Altona Treatment Plant it features a ‘forest’ of native tree species planted in five spirals, intended to highlight the preciousness of the natural environment.
To celebrate the artwork’s 25th anniversary in 2023, the Dear Agnes project brought to light the work of Agnes Denes, and also provided an ongoing legacy by generating new ideas by contemporary public artists in response to Denes’s work.
A new group of artists and collectives have been selected for the 2026 program and their works will be shown at Truganina Explosives Reserve alongside a public program.
Dear Agnes contemporary public art program runs from 13 to 29 March
Fridays – 10am to 3pm
Saturdays – 11am to 5pm
Sundays – 11am to 3pm
Featured artists include:
Nahbananas
Lee Ramseyer Bache and Ex Ponto
Debris Facility Pty Ltd
Rachel Hanlon
Alexandra Harrison
Kate Hunter and Jem Savage
Angelique Joy
Dylan Martorell
Joanne Mott
Hot Mulch (Kate Hill and Isadora Vaughan)
Jonathan Sinatra
Emma Lyn Winkler
Learn about Agnes Denes, experience new site-responsive works, and discover both the Truganina Explosives Reserve site and the ‘A Forest for Australia’ artwork at Altona Treatment Plant.
Explore the program and read about the artists at >> hobsonsbay.vic.gov.au/DearAgnes
For more information click here
