2018
LONG SHADOWS: The Great War, Australia and the Middle East
5 September - 1 December 2018 The First World War plays a fundamental role in the national memory of Australia and Gallipoli in particular continues to resonate strongly for Australians. Long Shadows: The Great War, Australia and the Middle East brings together past and recent histories to highlight lesser-known aspects of The Great War in the Middle East. It examines the long shadows cast by this conflict reaching well beyond Gallipoli and deep into the present day experiences of communities within the broader region. Developed by Dr Hans-Lukas Kieser – Associate Professor, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Newcastle and an Australian Research Council Future Fellow – in collaboration with Dr Kate Ariotti, PHD candidate Caroline Schneider, and the University Gallery. Generously supported by the Australian Government through the Australian Research Council, and the Centre for 21st Century Humanities at the University of Newcastle. EXPLORE this research online: https://tinyurl.com/thelongshadows VIEW the Installation Images DOWNLOAD the Exhibition Invitation (202KB) Image: Two Australian Light Horsemen watch Armenian women sew at the Port Said refugee camp, c1918. Courtesy James A Cannavino Library, Archives & Special Collections, Marist College. |
PAINTING THE SONG
18 July - 25 August 2018 The University Gallery partners once again with the Newcastle Music Festival, now in its third year, to present a stimulating fusion of art and music. Painting the Song, an exhibition of contemporary Australian Indigenous paintings from the Sims Dickson Collection, will explore the notion that Aboriginal art is music in two dimensions. Curated by Deborah Sims and Matt Dickson, these striking works will resonate at the premiere of Colin Spiers’ Concertino for Piano and Strings, commissioned for the 2018 Newcastle Music Festival, on 4 August. VIEW the Installation Images VIEW the Online Catalogue (538KB) DOWNLOAD the Exhibition Roomsheet DOWNLOAD the Exhibition Invitation (218KB) Image: The baby Grand Piano arrived in time for the opening of Painting the Song |
MEMORANDA
30 May - 14 July 2018 Memoranda - a short note designating something to be remembered - a record, a note to self This group exhibition brings together friends, students and colleagues who have connected through their practice, their learning and exhibitions over the past decade. It features works that were influenced by the theories and influences of an art school and its people, and considers the creative process within the context of a teaching and learning environment. Collectively, the works are a ‘memoranda’ - a note to self for all those who have made art, here, from 2008 to 2018. VIEW the Installation Images VIEW the Roomsheet (491KB) DOWNLOAD the Exhibition Invitation (903KB) Image: Andy Devine & Peter Tilley Response #29 (3 minutes to midnight), 2015 (detail). |
IMANTS TILLERS
FROM THE STUDIO 18 April - 26 May 2018 Since 1981, Imants Tillers has been using his ‘canvasboard system’, in which multiple painted boards are arranged in grids to form large-scale paintings. Also known as the Book of Power, the project was inspired by Stéphane Mallarmé’s idea that ‘everything in the world exists to end up a book’. Through this system, Tillers’ aims to accommodate of ‘all modes of expression: from the trivial to the serious, the banal to the profound’. Using predominately appropriated imagery, Tillers combines existing artworks and texts to address a wide range of themes. From the Studio presents works drawn from Tillers’ personal collection spanning four decades of his career. They address issues of power, identity and diaspora and also chronicle a shift in Tillers’ practice towards increasing layers of imagery and text. - A University Gallery project curated by Olivia Sophia. VIEW the Installation Images VIEW the Online Catalogue (4.6MB) DOWNLOAD the Exhibition Invitation (1.4MB) Image: Imants Tillers, Tomb, 1987, oilstick, gouache, synthetic polymer paint on 48 canvasboards, nos. 17665-17712, 229 x 203 cm. |
PETER TILLEY
SEEING THE SHADOW 21 March - 14 April 2018 The elusive, insubstantial nature of the shadow lends itself to metaphor, myth and legend, with its significance contemplated by human consciousness throughout history. Shadows appear as essences of the soul – the externalisation of the inner self – as guides or advisors. For his PhD research, Peter Tilley examines the theory and philosophy of shadow, developing and utilising an array of materials, found objects and methods that enable the construction of shadows to disclose fundamental traits and mnemonics of the ‘casting’ figure. The resulting sculptures become complex representations that explore the mysteries of the unknown and the fundamental identity and attributes of the figure/self. VIEW the Installation Images VIEW the Online Catalogue (362KB) DOWNLOAD the Exhibition Invitation (132KB) Image: Peter Tilley, Seeing the Shadow II, 2017, painted cast iron on polished stainless steel, 43 x 78 x 15 cm. |
RE-STITCHING CULTURE
Doll-making in Indigenous cultures 21 February - 18 March 2018 Doll-making is an intrinsic part of many Indigenous cultures across the world. Doll-making represents a transfer of cultural knowledge, the building of capacity, and the reclaiming of Indigenous identity, on both a local and a collective level. The benefits of these outcomes are important to supporting health and wellbeing in Indigenous communities. RE-STITCHING CULTURE showcases examples of doll-making from three Indigenous groups, the Gomeroi Yarning dolls (Australia) which encourage the sharing of oral personal narratives; the Six Nations Cornhusk dolls (Canada) to promote the transmission of cultural teachings; and the Siyazama Zulu dolls (South Africa) used to create community support networks through locally relevant HIV/AIDS awareness. VIEW the Installation Images VIEW the Online Catalogue (22MB) DOWNLOAD the Exhibition Invitation (1.3MB) Image: Lobolile Ximba, Large Makoti A and Large Makoti B, date unknown, fabric, beads, wire (detail), dimensions variable. |
MOJGAN HABIBI
BEHIND THE WORDS 31 January - 18 February 2018 Mojgan Habibi’s PhD research is concerned with the use of text by politically motivated Iranian visual artists. Hidden or secondary meanings contained in prose become more evident in times of political or religious censorship, and the use of text in contemporary art can direct the viewer to content beyond the literal meaning. The works in Habibi’s PhD research exhibition, Behind the Words, use metaphor, allegory, poetry and references to Persian mythology and history as vehicles to discuss contemporary Iranian politics. Habibi’s carefully crafted objects and installations are made from clay, some are fired, and all contain textual references ranging from Persian script to abstract calligraphy. VIEW the Installation Images VIEW the Online Catalogue (3MB) DOWNLOAD the Exhibition Invitation (831KB) Image: Mojgan Habibi, Kaveh the Blacksmith, 2016-2018, slip terracotta clay, 170 x 331 cm (detail). |