New York-based Australian artist Cj Hendry, renowned for her hyper-realistic drawings and immersive large-scale exhibitions, is returning home to present Lost & Found at Chadstone from June 19 to July 20.
The highly anticipated showcase marks Hendry’s first Australian exhibition in four years, transforming the shopping center into an unconventional art space that blends her signature hyperrealism with playful, boundary-pushing design.
With over 20 million annual visitors, Chadstone provides the perfect high-traffic setting for Hendry’s work, which thrives in unexpected public spaces. The exhibition will span three carefully curated locations, each offering a different aspect of the artist’s vision.
The Maze invites visitors to navigate bold-colored lock walls, matching keys to locks in an interactive experience. The Vault presents original artworks inspired by locks and keys alongside limited-edition merchandise, while the Ah-MAZE-ing School Holiday Program features a bright inflatable maze with keychain creation and mini maze building activities.
“I’m so excited to be bringing an exhibition to Australia after so many years – it’s a place that has always fuelled my creativity and inspired my work,” Hendry said. “
Art should be for everyone, and I love pushing the boundaries to make it more engaging in fresh and unexpected ways.”
Hendry is known for her interactive exhibitions, such as Flower Market, where visitors created bouquets from 100,000 plush flowers, and HOOPS, her million-dollar Art Basel Miami basketball challenge. Lost & Found continues this tradition, offering audiences an experiential world where they can lose themselves—and discover new perspectives.
With waitlists for her commissioned pieces often stretching up to three years, this homecoming exhibition reinforces Hendry’s reputation as an artist who defies convention, bringing high art into everyday spaces and making it irresistibly engaging. Lost & Found promises to be one of Melbourne’s must-see cultural events this winter.
