ETCHING: REMBRANDT'S LEGACY & POTENTIALLY SYMBOLIC OBJECTS ETCHINGS BY ROSS WOODROW
19 January to 2 March, 2024 Etching has always had an alluring, although slightly risky, reputation. For artists the challenge is associated with the high-risk, high-return or demanding nature of the medium, yet paradoxically it remains one of the few non-commercial printmaking mediums known to the general public as a signifier of an original print distinctive from a print as a reproduction of a painting. The mystique surrounding etching as a primary inventive image-making medium is examined for its lasting appeal. These works collectively illuminate the enduring attraction of etching for artists and collectors from Rembrandt’s time to the present. IMAGE: Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669) The Baptism of the Eunuch 1641 Etching with touches of drypoint, a later impression of New Hollstein’s final state (of four), platemark 18.2 x 21 cm EXPLORE the ETCHING exhibition in 3D |
Painted River Project: Blue Mountains Rare Upland Swamps
8 November - 16 December The Painted River Project is an art, science and cultural initiative that creates space for diverse community members to share knowledge and research to build an understanding of how we live in an increasingly fragile natural world. It nurtures transformative thinking and collective action around one of Australia’s most contested topics - water. In this exhibition Blue Mountains Rare Upland Swamps, traditional owners, artists and scientists explore together the remarkable swamps of a World Heritage area as part of a creative project on fragile water systems in NSW. Exhibiting artists: Lucy Culliton, Chris O’Doherty (Reg Mombassa), Euan Macleod, Adrienne Richards, Leo Robba, Greg Hughes, Matthew Lahoud and Louise Kerr with Gundungurra artist Kelsie King. The Painted River Project is a planetary health initiative devised by Dr Leo Robba from Western Sydney University School of Humanities and Communication Arts and Professor Tony Capon, Chair in Planetary Health at Monash University, in partnership with Associate Professor Ian Wright from Western Sydney University School of Science. Western Sydney University team: Water scientist Associate Professor Dr Ian Wright, Pollination Ecologist Dr Amy Gilpin; and University photographer Sally Tsoutas. Gundungurra traditional custodian: David King. This exhibition is co-curated by Dr Leo Robba and Margaret Hancock from WSU and is a joint project between the University Galleries at the University of Newcastle and Western Sydney Creative at Western Sydney University. Euan Macleod, Lucy Culliton, Louise Kerr and Leo Robba are represented by King Street Gallery on William, Sydney. Chris O’Doherty (Reg Mombassa) is represented by Rogue Pop-up Gallery. IMAGE: Reg Mombassa, Pines and Scrub Above the Big Swamp, 2022, charcoal and coloured pencil on paper, 24x35cm. Courtesy the artist. EXPLORE Blue Mountains Rare Upland Swamps in 3D Just Not Australian.. New Annual
20 September - 28 October Just Not Australian presents work by Australian artists at the forefront of national debate and practice. This exhibition brings together 20 artists across generations and diverse cultural backgrounds to deal broadly with the origins and implications of contemporary Australian nationhood. Showcasing the common sensibilities of satire, larrikinism and resistance so as to present a broad exploration of race, place and belonging, Just Not Australian interrogates what it means to be Australian at this challenging point in time. Just Not Australian engages with the moral and ethical undertones of the loaded rejoinder ‘un- Australian’ – a pejorative now embedded in our national vocabulary that continues to be used to further political agendas and to spread nationalistic ideals of what it means to be Australian. Far from a simple comparison, a consideration of what’s not Australian ultimately leads to questions of what is, and the artists in Just Not Australian consider this in detail. READ about the exhibition IMAGE: Liam Benson 'Participatory Community Embroidery, You and Me' 2013–17, glass, sequins, cotton, organza 148 x 170 cm Photo: Zan Wimberley Sculpture in The Botanic Gardens 21 July - 10 September Artists Tracie Bertram Andy Devine Michael Garth Tom Ireland Kelly Lees Fiona Lee Louisa Magrics Will Maguire Megan McCarthy Brett McMahon Edwardo Milan Vlase Nikoleski Greg Salter Kris Smith Shellie Smith Andrew Styan Peter Tilley John Turier Gavin Vitullo Patricia Wilson Adams Curated by Rodney Cones-Browne Twenty artists explore, challenge and interrogate the dialogue that has long existed between architectural sculptural form and the natural environment for this exhibition at the Hunter Region Botanic Gardens. Choosing their own site within which to work among the 130 acres nestled on the lower reaches of the Hunter River, site and its specifics are at the core of the developed work. The primary inspiration from the external large-scale work extends the visual narrative from the sculptures nestled in the dense natural terrain to those in the mediated gallery environment. Each artist was invited to develop interventions into the vast external spaces and these have been wrought into domestic scale sculptures as maquettes or companion pieces to the in situ works for exhibition at Watt Space Gallery. This exhibition is a partnership between the Hunter Region Botanic Gardens + the University Galleries, Watt Space. VIEW catalogue VIEW exhibition images VIEW floor sheet INDEAH CLARK
Third Space 15 June - 15 July Indeah Clark combines traditional Aboriginal weaving practices with her interest in the rich history of Japanese ceramics to create a major body of work that symbolises her personal exploration of hybrid identity and notions surrounding “third space”.
Navigating the multifaceted influences of her Indigenous / Australian identity with the theories of third space, that is her own heritage – as point of departure ‘A’ and the influences of her travels to Japan and the exploration of Japanese ceramics as destination ‘B’ – Clark embraces and celebrates this collision of cultures, drawing inspiration from new realms of intricate identity and the beauty and complexity of aesthetics as they hybridise in both material use and conceptual intent. VIEW exhibition images VIEW the price list IMAGE: Indeah Clark Punters 2023 Dimensions variable Glaze on misfire white Raku clay Image courtesy of Indeah Clark and TAFE Photo by Jacob Gower BIRABAHN.. Building the Art Collection
..until 15 July In 2023 the University of Newcastle celebrates forty years of the Wollotuka Institute and twenty years of residence in Birabahn, the eaglehawk inspired building that houses their institute on the land of the Pambalong clan. The award-winning Birabahn building was a leader in First Nations architectural design principles* and consultation. To commemorate the forty year milestone, the building and its art collection have had a makeover. We are very pleased to share a suite of new works that will be curated into the existing collection. The new installation shares stories through remarkable First Nations art practice from across Australia, the Torres Strait Islands, and closer to home. With works from celebrated artists such as Damien and Yilpi Marks, Elsie (Myapu) Thomas, Djakaŋu Yunupiŋu and a rare collection of Nada Tjigila Rawlins, this exhibition reinforces our commitment to building culturally safe spaces in the University and the celebration of the diversity of contemporary First Nations art. We invite you to share the first view of the Birabahn Collection at Watt Space Gallery and will welcome our visitors to the official launch when it is installed as a permanent collection at the Wollotuka Institute. * Architects Richard Leplastrier, Peter Stutchbuty and Sue Harper VIEW the floor sheet IMAGE: Angkaliya Nelson Kungkarangkalpa (Seven Sisters Story) 2022 Pitjantjatjara 61 x 122 cm acrylic on canvas Image courtesy Angkaliya Nelson and Ninuku Arts ©copyright the artist and Ninuku Arts LINA MOWAFI
The Passion Project 2 December 2022 - 4 March 2023 The Passion Project explores the phenomena of visual communication practitioners who undertake personal, creative side projects outside of their paid creative work and forms a part of Lina Mowafi’s PhD thesis in Visual Communication. Drawing on Mowafi’s research, the exhibition suggests that the intrinsic motivation associated with more playful forms of creative practice helps improve performance in settings where an extrinsic motivation dominates. Side projects are a way for creative practitioners to maintain their passion and motivation for professional creative work, learning new cognitive and technical skills and developing their creative expertise through their own ‘Passion Projects’. |