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Shepparton Arts Festival 2026

Danaë (2026) at Shepparton Festival, 20 - 29 March 2026

I’m excited to share that my new installation Danaë (2026) will debut as part of the Shepparton Festival, which celebrates its 30th year in 2026.

Referencing the Greek myth of Danaë—imprisoned by her father yet visited by Zeus in the form of a shower of gold—the work reimagines a subject long depicted in Western art. Historically, artists presented Danaë nude as gold falls from above, often turning mythology into a cultural pretext for displaying the female body.

In this version, the body is absent. A sprawling pile of plastic gold coins is paired with a soundscape of coins falling and clinking together, creating a hollow echo of wealth. The installation shifts attention toward the power, access, and control embedded within the myth.

Danaë will be on display 20–29 March 2026 at the La Trobe University Shepparton Campus (210 Fryers Street), open 9am–5pm. More info can be found on the Shepparton Arts Festival website here.

Entering the 2026 Archibald Prize

I have entered the 2026 Archibald Prize with a painting of Carmel Johnson. Carmel is the Development Manager at Shepparton Art Museum (SAM), life member of the Shepparton Arts Festival, and a cornerstone of the Shepparton community.

In 2025 the Herald Sun listed Carmel as number 11 of the 60 most powerful people of the Goulburn Valley. Frankly, I think that she ranks higher than that, so I joke that she is an ace—which is valued at one or eleven points in the game of blackjack.

The painitng is up at the AGNSW at this moment, at the end of April teh list of finalists will be released.

Caroline Esbenshade

Caroline
Esbenshade