Murray Bridge gallery welcomes two new exhibitions
Island Welcome and I Am Uncomfortable open at Murray Bridge Regional Gallery this Friday night, and both are sure to get you thinking.
Who gets to say welcome, who gets missed out and why?
Questions like those will be raised at the opening of two new exhibitions at Murray Bridge Regional Gallery this Friday night.
Island Welcome will be a display of contemporary jewellery by 12 artists – mostly neckpieces, intended to reflect the garlands or leis used to welcome visitors in many islander cultures.
The artworks use materials as diverse as clay, paper, porcelain, wire, seaweed, shells, thongs and fabric sausages.
Curator Belinda Newick hoped the exhibition would prompt audiences to reflect on Australia’s asylum seeker policies, the universal nature of human rights, and our ability to extend gestures of welcome and help displaced people.
Country Arts SA’s Lauren Mustillo said the exhibitors were among Australia’s most respected and talented jewellers.
“(Their) immense technical talent and personal values of compassion and inclusion have collided to bring us artworks which have undertones of activism and collectively ask us to contemplate political history, Australia’s cultural identity and our shared humanity,” she said.
The touring exhibition will go on display alongside I Am Uncomfortable, a showing of provocative textile artworks on themes of race, gender, sexuality and mental health by Adelaide artist Makeda Duong.
The exhibitions will be opened at an event at 6pm this Friday, and will both remain on show in Murray Bridge until November 12.
Island Welcome will then tour South Australia over the next two years.
- RSVP to the exhibition opening: www.eventbrite.com.
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