ESU Writer-in-Residence, 2024

The ESU is pleased to announce that Adam Wesselinoff has been selected as the inaugural ESU Writer-in-Residence for 2024. While at ESU House Adam will work on a book-length project examining the state of contemporary religious art in Australia, with a particular emphasis on the churches.

In his application Adam wrote:

"In recent years I have been fascinated by the divergent narratives in church and society on this topic. Christians are once again realising the importance of the aesthetic dimension of faith, while at the same time struggling to discover a style that describes the relationship of traditional Christianity to the modern/postmodern world. There is a resurgent interest in the art of the Christian east, especially Orthodox iconography, while the art of the English-speaking Christian West becomes more abstract and even sacrilegious. The struggle to discern a contemporary Christian aesthetic is mirrored by the sad decline of the nation's premier religious art prize, the Blake Prize, which has fallen into nearly complete irrelevance. Yet as this prize falls into disrepair, secular galleries have become nearly-obsessed with religious and spiritual themes, especially from the modern art masters of the last century—e.g. recent exhibitions on Kandinsky, Gauguin, Mucha, the “spiritual” themes present in postcolonial art at regional Biennales, exhibitions on Christian art as historical curiosity at MONA. The book would try to offer insights into the current stagnation of Australian religious art, while indicating some ways forward for the recovery of art within the context of the Christian West."

In addition to writing regularly for numerous publications, Adam is the outgoing editor of the Catholic Weekly, for which he wrote regularly on contemporary art. He is also an amateur artist and lives in Sydney with his wife and son. A sample of his art criticism can be found here: https://www.catholicweekly.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Kandinsky.pdf

In accepting the Residency Adam said: "I am beyond delighted to be the ESU Victoria Branch's inaugural writer in residence. To receive such generous support to complete a major work is a gift to any writer. The prospect of a month with like-minded people at ESU House makes the residency unique in the Australian literary scene."

Adam takes up his Residency at ESU House from mid-October to mid-November 2024. He will reflect on the Residency via a presentation to ESU members and friends in early 2025; this event will be publicised via our Events web page in due course.

We look forward to hearing more about Adam's writing, ideas and insights.

This page was created on 15 October 2024.