Ben Quilty

Until the end of February 2019, Ben Quilty and Mirra Whale’s sculpture Not a creature was stirring will be installed at St Paul’s Cathedral, Melbourne.

First exhibited by Tolarno Galleries at Sydney Contemporary art fair in September 2018, the sculpture is made from the salvaged life-jackets of Syrian refugees.

The Dean of Melbourne, the Very Revd Dr Andreas Loewe, said: “Ben Quilty’s sculpture, Not a creature was stirring, is a powerful reflection on the human cost of war and conflict. The hi-vis Christmas tree at the entrance of our Cathedral is a reminder that Jesus and his family became refugees almost immediately after his birth. It is an invitation to us to open our hearts to help people displaced by war and conflict.”

Quilty’s sculpture is displayed along with drawings by Syrian refugee children. These were collected by Quilty and recently published in the book, Home: Drawings by Syrian Children.

Read more at The Guardian.
Listen to Ben Quilty and the Very Revd Dr Andreas Loewe on ABC Melbourne Conversation Hour (Friday 16 November edition, from 36:50 min)

St Paul’s Cathedral is open to the public daily
Monday-Friday: 8.30am – 6pm
Saturday: 9am – 4pm
Sunday: 7:30am – 7:30pm

Image: Ben Quilty and Mirra Whale Not a creature was stirring 2018. Syrian Refugee crisis life vests, steel, perspex & electrical components, H: 370 cm x W: 400 cm x D: 400 cm. Photograph by Jacqui Shelton.