Show me the way is a new initiative that brings together creative practitioners working across the fields of art, design, and education to develop artworks that respond to and allow deeper understanding of the Penrith Regional Gallery site. These commissioned artworks will be acquired by the Gallery and have an ongoing place as artistic resources for school groups and visitors. Designed as an artist-led research project and developed through a residency period at the Gallery, Show me the way encourages visitors to explore the galleries, heritage home and gardens with a sense of curiosity as they discover the unique stories of this place through the lens of an artist.
Led by Feras Shaheen, the first iteration of Show me the way titled Complex Interplay, draws from the artist’s experience working spatially to navigate a range of human interactions. Feras invites audiences to move through the 1-acre Gallery site in new ways through playful interventions. He encourages an exploration of the in-between spaces which exist here. Often overlooked, these areas can hold hidden significance in our daily routines. Positioned within these spaces are transparent sculptures that act as restrictions, altering the movements of audiences. By physically shifting the way people traverse the site, these interventions encourage us to consider our own personal limitations as we move, think and interact.
“Taste in music, taste in fashion, taste in furniture, taste in colours… taste is what forms our individuality and informs our decisions. Our taste is often shaped by a complex interplay of factors. These include our personal experiences, cultural backgrounds, and social environment. It’s common to overlook the profound impact that context and limitation can have on these choices.
Through sculptural interventions that inhabit designated spaces throughout the gallery site, I encourage you to rethink how you navigate the in-between spaces and negotiate restrictions. Your invitation as a visitor is to be compelled to venture down the less familiar route allowing for new movements, viewpoints, and spatial relationships. The sculptural interventions direct us to examine our own preferences, decisions, and position as we move through space.
Look around you… these are suggestions and not instructions. When you reach each sculpture, ask yourself: what are the restrictions, where am I, and what are my choices… then go.” – Feras Shaheen
Feras Shaheen is an artist curious in letting his conceptual interests lead him across a variety of mediums. Using choreography, installation work, film, performance, digital media, and street dance to communicate his ideas, the core of Feras’ practice is to connect and engage audiences. Holding a Bachelor of design from Western Sydney University (2014), Feras often subverts traditional relationships between mediums to challenge audiences’ perspectives. Born in Dubai to palestinian parents, and moving to Western Sydney at age 11, Feras uses his practice as a way to reflect and examine how he views the world, addressing local and global issues. Winner of the Australian Ballet’s Telstra Emerging Choreographer (TEC) in 2021, Feras has performed and exhibited at Carriageworks, Venice Biennale, Pari, Kampnagel, Campbelltwon Arts Centre, and Theatre de la Ville. Recent works include ‘Cross Cultures,’ ‘Plastic Bag,’ ongoing collaboration ‘Klapping,’ and ‘Forum Q.’ Feras is currently working with Marrugeku’s ‘Jurrungu Ngan-ga,’ a collaborative production that addresses issues regarding the fear of cultural differences.
