Gut Waters explores the role of the human gut in reimagining our health and place in the world. The artworks will highlight how the gut connects worlds inside and outside of our bodies, by linking digestion to Bankstown’s wastewater systems, moon cycles and human poop transplants. Visitors will be invited to explore the emerging science of the gut microbiome, alongside traditional approaches to gut health that are being changed by global migration and industrial farming.
The exhibition features recent works by four Australian and two international artists, including new commissions by Eugenia Lim and Helen Pynor. It will be launched as part of Bankstown Arts Centre Open Day, an annual all-day program that coincides with Bankstown Bites. Juxtaposed with the food festival, Gut Waters takes on another layer of meaning, adopting a provocative and playful approach to Bankstown’s vibrant food and eating cultures.
The exhibition is based on the ongoing research of Dr Vanessa Bartlett into digestion as a curatorial method.
Lead Curator: Dr Vanessa Bartlett
Curatorial Collaborator: Rachael Kiang
We would like to thank the following collaborators who have helped us develop the exhibition: Lleah Amy Smith, Pheany Ban, Kim Pham, Jerry Zhou and Rachel Marsden.
Visual Identity by James Campbell.
