Kat Chaplin's artwork entitled Staring at the Sun
ECU student alumna Kat Chaplin has won a place at the exhibition Hatched: National Graduate Show 2026 at the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts (PICA). Kat recently successfully completed her Bachelor of Arts at ECU with a Visual Arts major.
This year's Hatched brings together the work of 21 outstanding early-career artists from across Australia, offering visitors the opportunity to experience a diverse range of exciting new contemporary art in the beautiful heritage-listed PICA building.
As well as winning the opportunity to exhibit their art, the artists have the chance of taking home one of the prestigious Dr Harold Schenberg Arts Awards. These awards, Australia's largest prize pool for emerging artists, are offered in partnership with The University of Western Australia and have bestowed $600,000 to date.
Exhibitors compete for yet more accolades with the People's Choice Award: members of the public can vote for their favourite artwork, with the winner to be revealed at the show's conclusion.
The early-career artists, praised for their "creative excellence and unique modes of expression", were chosen by an expert panel, including Tina Stefanou (artist, Hatched alum 2020), Guy Louden (artist, curator, Art Consultant and Collections Officer, Artbank), Georgia Hayward (artist, curator, PICA) and Mia Palmer-Verevis (Hatched curatorial associate, PICA).
"Being part of Hatched feels like a real privilege, and it's incredibly encouraging to have my practice recognised at this stage in my career. As Hatched celebrates its 35th year, being included feels like becoming part of the exhibition's ongoing history and legacy," Kat said.
"I'm especially looking forward to connecting with the other artists, experiencing their work, and building relationships within the contemporary art community. As someone with an emerging practice, I'm excited by the opportunity to learn from others and find my place within that network."
Kat's chosen artwork, Staring at the Sun, was born from the idea of tracing back to an essential truth.
"I was fascinated by the idea of cosmic microwave background, a thermal echo of the Big Bang event, appearing in analogue television static. The digital age has removed this phenomenon from the domestic space, and in the obsolescence the gap between experience and understanding is a little bit bigger," she said.
As well as giving Kat the opportunity to exhibit her art, PICA provides professional development programs, equipping the winners with the skills to apply for funding opportunities, residencies and exhibitions.
Hatched 2026, with support from the Minderoo Foundation and PICA's Art 1000 Donors, begins on Friday 31 July with an opening night party at PICA After Hours, and runs until 4 October 2026.
