SYDNEY.- Made from 800 square metres of exquisite handmade silk paper, Blood on Silk: Last Seen (22 July – 17 Sept.) is Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre’s inaugural Turbine Hall Commission, and is the largest indoor artwork in Western Sydney to date. The exhibition premiered as part of five stand out visual art exhibitions launching in July and August.

Other exhibitions include: a dog-lover’s exhibition Every Dog Will Have Its Day (22 July – 7 Sept.), Bravery Unmasked: Art Therapy (25 Aug. – 17 Sept.), created by local cancer patients, and two exhibitions inspired by Western Sydney’s unique landscapes: Near x Far (17 July – 17 Sept.) and Inland Drive (22 July – 10 Aug.).

“We are thrilled to begin our series of Turbine Hall Commissions with the truly epic Blood On Silk: On Screen. The Turbine Hall is an astounding 13.8 metres high by 13 metres wide, by 30 metres deep, and is the perfect backdrop for the artists to engage with such an impressive and awe-inspiring space,” CPAC Director Craig Donarski said.

Blood on Silk: Last Seen (22 July – 17 Sept.) examines medical dying within Intensive Care Units. Draping 800 square metres of handmade silk paper across the expansive Turbine Hall, Western Sydney artist Fiona Davies’ creation transforms the entire space into 5 makeshift hospital rooms, where stills and moving images are projected across the hanging silk walls, replicating the endless bustle and emotional landscape of hospital environments. The installation is also accompanied by four free public programs.

Every Dog Will Have Its Day (22 July – 7 Sept.) launched on Saturday 22 July. The group exhibition from ten contemporary Australian artists explores the enduring emotional connection between people and dogs across a diverse range of mediums.

Bravery Unmasked: Art Therapy (25 Aug. – 18 Sept.) was created by local cancer patients from Liverpool and Macarthur Cancer Therapy Centres. Made during a series of workshops, the masks are empowered the patients through creative self-expression, and show that visual creativity can offer a reassuring voice in the treatment process.

Local artists reveal new perspectives of Western Sydney in Near x Far (17 July – 17 Sept.) by documenting the spaces they navigate, from their homes to the metaphysical world. The exhibition explores how spaces can be mapped, marked and remembered through a range of forms.

Inland Drive (22 July – 10 Aug.) by local artist Gary Smith offers a visualisation of the growing Western Sydney urban sprawl from the imagined aerial perspective of a drone. Smith maps out the ever-evolving landscape of the Inner West and South train lines and their surrounding areas by combining a continuous line-drawing technique with brightly coloured acrylic and watercolour paints.

The Turbine Hall Commissions are a new initiative of Casula Powerhouse offering visitors new experiences of the public space through site responsive artworks, curated by Liverpool City Public Arts Officer Lizzy Marshall.