Eight contemporary artists are presenting an exhibition at Fort Lytton, transforming the historic military site into a space for exploring modern borderlands.
Historic Fort Hosts Contemporary Reflections
Fort Lytton National Park will host “A Narrow Strip Along a Steep Edge,” featuring a curated exhibition with works by eight contemporary artists. Running from 10 to 18 May 2025, the project invites public engagement with artworks staged across the fort’s 19th-century military architecture.
Originally built in 1881 to defend Brisbane against naval attacks, Fort Lytton never saw combat. Its defensive features—including a moat, submarine mines, and artillery—remain as relics of a conflict that never came. The site has since become a symbol of past military preparedness, obsolete boundaries, and shifting meanings of protection and exclusion.
Boundaries, Liminal Spaces, and Unused Defences
Curated by Holly Eddington, the exhibition reflects on Fort Lytton’s dual identity as both a protective stronghold and a place of exclusion. Artists were invited to engage with the site’s layered histories—spaces once designed for defence now serve as a platform for interpreting transitions, unresolved tensions, and the dissolution of inherited borders.
The participating artists are Angel, Charlie Robert, Dean Ansell, Jessica Dorizac, Max Athans, Miguel Aquilizan, Yanru Pan, and Ziyi Wei. Their installations and activations occupy the casemates and surrounding structures, exploring the fort as a site of presence and absence.
The event is framed by a concept drawn from writer Gloria E Anzaldúa, whose idea of a “narrow strip along a steep edge” reflects the exhibition’s interest in the psychological and physical weight of borders.
Public Engagement and Program Details
The public exhibition is open daily from 11 to 18 May, between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., with free entry. The opening night on 10 May includes a sunset launch from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., featuring an artwork activation by Dean Ansell at 5:00 p.m. and ambient music by Gos Brady, Yage.0k, and Banque.
Registration is required for the opening event. The site is not easily accessed via public transport, but parking is available onsite.
Featured artworks include Polymerization IV by Max Athans and The Return of Spontaneous Circulation by Ziyi Wei.
Looking Ahead
While Fort Lytton no longer serves a defensive function, the exhibition reactivates its historical layers through contemporary perspectives. As artists reframe the site’s original purpose, the space is opened to new interpretations that examine how boundaries persist and dissolve over time.
Published 30-Apr-2025