Eden Unearthed at Macquarie Park starts August 1, 2019

Christmas has come early for Eden Unearthed curator Meredith Kirton who is preparing for the annual exhibition from August 1.

Eden Unearthed curator Meredith Kirton.

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Christmas has come early for Eden Unearthed curator Meredith Kirton, who is preparing for the annual Macquarie Park exhibition with zeal.

“Every day is like Christmas,’’ she said.

“It’s a lot of planning for six months and it’s like they come here and they unwrap what someone else has imagined, and you see it for the first time hanging in the garden, and the gardeners get excited — it’s terrific.”

Art lovers and nature buffs can meander through more than a hectare at Eden Gardens to explore 32 installations by 40 artists for six months from August 1.

Eden Unearthed has an “edgy” environmental focus.

“I think what’s nice about this exhibition is that people who don’t normally look at art find it,’’ Ms Kirton said.

“They come across things that engage them; that’s one of the nicest things about it — it’s the incidental encounter.’

Artists have used recycled materials and plant products.

“It’s got a real environmental focus,’’ Ms Kirton said.

“The name like Eden Unearthed means we can honour something about this place that is special so it might be we’re in Lane Cove National Park and there’s all sorts of issues around habitat and climate and global warming, and a lot of the work has an environmental edge about it.”

Among Ms Kirton’s favourite works are Akira Kamada’s same sex marriage tribute Rainbow Ceremony.

The official unveiling will be on August 5 when the $10,000 first prize will be awarded.

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