Botanical gardens launch participatory art

Botanical gardens world wide are collaborating with contemporary artists to explore socio-ecological issues and visitors are invited along the ride.

It’s all hands on deck at the Sydney Royal Botanical Gardens. In a partnership with ANTaR (a national advocacy organisation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people) and proud Yaegl artist Frances Belle Parker, the general public are invited to participate in the creation of art installation Sea of Hands which features over 10,000 handprints.

Between 5-9 April, visitors are invited to help plant a handprint that makes up the installation. Parker’s design spotlights the cultural practice of land burning and each handprint mirrors the colours of charred and burnt banksia pods.

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Celina Lei is an arts writer and editor at ArtsHub. She acquired her M.A in Art, Law and Business in New York with a B.A. in Art History and Philosophy from the University of Melbourne. She has previously worked across global art hubs in Beijing, Hong Kong and New York in both the commercial art sector and art criticism. She took part in drafting NAVA’s revised Code of Practice - Art Fairs and was the project manager of ArtsHub’s diverse writers initiative, Amplify Collective. Celina is based in Naarm/Melbourne.