ORTA | Diega in Residence at Heide Museum of Modern Art
A DAY AT THE SCULPTURE PARK
You’re invited to ORTA.
A garden party, of sorts, on September 25, 2026, hosted at Heide Museum of Modern Art.
Where inanimate things tell stories, and movement leaves its trace in the grass. A place of fixed forms and flowing gestures; earthly delights scattered like breadcrumbs for wandering minds.
For the first time, Diega will fold across Heide Museum of Modern Art. Heide’s Sculpture Park honours stillness: objects that hold their ground. While Diega deals in movement: the art of bodies in motion.
Meander through six hectares of Heide’s beloved sculpture park where form brushes against motion, image melts into sound, and taste charts the contours of the terrain. ORTA is a day that weaves far flung pockets of Australia’s creative scene through a singular thread. Dispatches from places where we all belong.
Art therapy is almost in session. Press the button for ticket access. Full line-up listed below.
Artwork: Aeroplane Boy, painted by Mark Chu for Diega.
Heide Museum of Modern Art and Diega acknowledge the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation, the Traditional Owners of the land and waters on which the museum is located. We pay respect to their Elders past and present, and recognise the rich traditions and continuing creative cultures of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of Australia.
LINEUP AND PROGRAM
SOUNDS OF THE SCULPTURE PARK
Radura is our open-air stage, where live and electronic performances trade places, stretch out, and carry us gently from afternoon into night. Alongside it returns NIDO: first brought to life at our New Year's gathering at Mt Baw Baw, the life-size nest and dedicated downtempo listening space. Our life-size nest and devoted listening perch. A place to roost for a while, stretch time a little, and let the landscape do some of the dancing. Settle into the landscape, let the world soften around you, and melt into an incredible sound system where presence comes naturally. Chomley Cousin D-Grade Elsie Keanu Nelson Marley Swain Matthew Dexter [CH] Nikodimos Orchestra Now Always Fades Nū Pugilist Sofay
CRESCENT HOUSE
Dance has always been the heartbeat of our programming. It was only a matter of time before it got top billing. Diega may not look it, but she's an old showgirl at heart, raised on black curtains, sickled feet, ripped fishnets, and the thrill of waiting in the wings. This is where contemporary performance takes the spotlight: movement, expression, opera, live art, and the wonderfully hard-to-pin-down. Dance has always been the heartbeat of our programming, so it felt only right to finally give it a stage of its own. Consider it a well-deserved standing ovation. Georgia Rudd Golden Scissor Puppets Jasper Salomonsz Jayden Wall Manic Opera Max Burgess Melissa Yvonne Pham Michaela Tancheff Parthena Manoussakis Sam Osborn
PLEIN AIR
The art of painting in the open air. Throughout the day, artists will set up among the sculptures, bringing new works to life as the landscape shifts around them. Pause for a while, linger a little longer, and catch a painting somewhere between its first brushstroke and its final flourish. Some moments are best watched as they unfold. Billie Morris House Arrest Mark Chu
GARDEN OF GOOD TASTE
A considered food lineup gathering local chefs, producers, and hospitality operators, celebrating seasonal ingredients and shared dining experiences. Amy's Pizza Blak Brews Manzé Tzaki Yolanda Whelan
FIELD OF VISION
Photography exhibited in cohesion with the natural surroundings, showcasing selected bodies of work from contemporary image makers in an outdoor gallery space. Angus Brown Frame of Mind Harry Burmeister Hussein Abdirahman Mohamud Isabella Quiroga Jesper Hede Ruo Qiong Zhang Thomas Jpg Warsan Mohammed
HEIDE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART
Head into the gallery before ORTA begins and spend the day exploring the current exhibitions at Heide Museum of Modern Art. Reduced-entry access is available exclusively for ORTA ticket holders during the day. Details of the current exhibitions and how to obtain a reduced-entry ticket will be shared closer to the event.
BIOSCOPE
Melt yourself and your popcorn into a buttery bean bag at this homegrown DIY cinema, screening cinematic works by local filmmakers and visual storytellers. Aarushi Chowdhury Beyond Borders Patagonia (Jed Fasso) Bonita Carzino Good Grief Jack Farman Jordan James Kaye Maxine Zanoni Pat Mooney Phenomena (Josef Gatti) Renee Kypriotis Riley Hart Sam Calafiore Sunny Lennon
EARTHWORK
Earthwork is where the garden gets its hands dirty. Sprouting throughout the Garden of Good Taste, a collection of pop-ups from local growers, planters and earth-minded makers celebrates the quiet art of tending the land. Come for the greenery, leaf with a few fresh ideas and perhaps a little soil under your fingernails. Fiend Soli Farm TERRAIN
DIEGA BODEGA
An outdoor wine bar featuring wines available by the glass, alongside a limited cocktail and non-alc menu of course.
Tickets for good, not greed Humanitix dedicates 100% of profits from booking fees to charity