Campbelltown artwork challenges perceptions
FORMER Campbelltown resident Melissa Hammond is using art to challenge perceptions of disability, with her work Making the Invisible Visible selected as a finalist in the 2026 Fisher’s Ghost Art Award.
Currently on display at Campbelltown Arts Centre, the artwork highlights the experiences of Australians living with disabilities that are not immediately apparent.
The exhibition coincides with Invisible Disability Awareness Week, October 18–24, and the United Nations International Day of Persons with Disabilities on December 3. It continues until December 4.
Now based in Canberra, Hammond developed multiple invisible disabilities following two car accidents, experiences that have increasingly influenced her artistic practice.
Her finalist artwork features an empty chair positioned in a corner, a blurred floor symbolising life's uncertainty, and a Hidden Disabilities Sunflower lanyard representing conditions that may not be visible.
Light flooding the scene symbolises the need for greater awareness and understanding.
More than one in five Australians live with disability, with many experiencing conditions that cannot be identified through appearance alone.
Hammond believes traditional disability symbols, particularly the wheelchair icon, can reinforce misconceptions that disabilities are always physical and visible.
Through her artwork, she hopes to encourage greater curiosity, empathy and recognition of the challenges faced by people living with non-visible conditions.
Her selection as a finalist also marks a personal homecoming, bringing her disability advocacy to Campbelltown's major annual art exhibition.
See more here: www.melissahammondartiste.com
Article Details
Editor Profile
editor
Publisher
Michael Walls
michael@accessnews.com.au
0407 783 413
