“Most of us carry an image of poverty in our heads,” says Hidden in Plain Sight curator, Maz McGann.
“We might picture homelessness, unemployment, food relief, crisis accommodation or someone visibly struggling to get by. These experiences are real, but they represent only part of a much larger and more complicated picture. Poverty can look remarkably ordinary."
“It can exist in a family home that is clean, safe and filled with books and imagination," Maz continues. "It can sit alongside employment, creativity, parenthood, humour and ambition. It can be present in a regional community dealing with drought, flood or isolation; in a household managing illness or disability; in the insecurity of housing; or in the choices quietly made when there is simply not enough money to meet every need.”
Presented by Guildhouse in partnership with Adelaide Airport and supported by The Wyatt Trust, Hidden in Plain Sight brings together the work of twelve talented South Australian visual artists: Abbey Murdoch, Bianca Joanna Buliga, Catherine Fitz-Gerald, Chloe Noble, Emiko Artemis, Gus Clutterbuck, Katherine Grocott, Makeda Duong, Meg Mader, Tabitha Lean, Tieyuan (Vivian) Zhou and Tom Phillips.
Developed through a Community Arts and Cultural Development (CACD) approach, the exhibition was shaped collaboratively by the participating artists through conversation, reflection and shared creative development. The result is a nuanced exploration of poverty that resists stereotypes and centres lived experience. Together, the artworks demonstrate that hardship often exists alongside creativity, love, ambition, determination and humour and that poverty is often hidden in plain sight.
Beth Neate, CEO of Guildhouse, says the exhibition demonstrates the unique power of artists to deepen our understanding of complex social issues.
“Artists have a remarkable ability to reveal what is often overlooked in everyday life. The works in Hidden in Plain Sight are infused with
empathy and authenticity. They have been shared with honesty, dignity and generosity by these twelve artists, encouraging audiences to move
beyond assumptions and engage more deeply with the realities of poverty in our community."
The Wyatt Trust is proud to support the exhibition which runs until 29 January 2027.
“While experiences of poverty can have common elements, a person's lived reality can feel like they are very much alone," says Wyatt
CEO, Stacey Thomas.
"We are all privileged to witness the artists sharing their intimate knowledge of hardship, to continue to build a collective
understanding of life where the ability to have choices cannot be taken for granted."
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Learn more about the artists and their work
Read Maz McGann's curatorial essay here
Photos by Lana Adams
