2016 EXHIBITIONS
3 DECEMBER - 26 FEBRUARY '17
WUNDERKAMMER
AND AFTERLIFE
ANIMAL STORIES FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE:
ROD McRAE
Wonder seems like such an outmoded notion in our technological age where everything is so readily explained by the scientific method. Wonder however does exist in the human imagination often triggered, yet not fully explained - by an object. Combining two exhibitions, Wunderkammer & After-life is a collection of portals into what was, what is, and what could be. Each work explores an animal story using real preserved animal bodies (taxidermy). Each work touches on a different aspect of the human-animal relationship including biodiversity, pollution, climate change, conservation and stewardship.
Rod McRae, Crying out loud in the age of Stupid, 2010, polar bear skin, glass, plastic, mdf, high density foam, 2 pack epoxy paint
10 DECEMBER - 5 FEBRUARY '17
KIETH YAP
TWENTY--SEVEN
Official Opening
Saturday 10 December | 6pm
twenty—seven comes from a place of amalgamating some recurring and significant themes for artist Kieth Yap. Yap’s training as an Art Teacher has enabled a resourcefulness that has influenced this body of work. The artist’s interprets the concept ‘Zones of Proximal Development’ from Russian theorist, Lev Vygotsky, whereby instructions are challenged and “ah-ha!” moments are embedded into each piece. twenty—seven is an autobiographical exercise that explores the search for the authentic self, using Yap’s using techniques such as repetitive mark making and finding both movement and stillness within the illustrated portraits.
Kieth Yap, the daydreamer and his bed, 2016, graphite, felt pen, posca pen and whiteout on archival paper. Photo courtesy of the artist.
A HomeGround exhibition
10 DECEMBER - 29 JANUARY '17
WESTERN COLLEGE
ART PRIZE
Official Opening
Friday 9 December | 6pm
The Western College Art Prize is run every two years and is an acquisitive art prize promoting emerging artists of the Orana region. The prize reflects Western College’s philosophy and this year the theme is ‘social justice.' Western College values inclusion, acceptance and the pursuit of education across all sections of the community. The Prize celebrates the expression of knowledge through art.
3 DECEMBER - 29 JANUARY '17
MAKE THE MARK
HSC ARTWORKS FROM THE DUBBO REGION
A vibrant exhibition of outstanding artworks produced by local Year 12 Visual Arts students for the 2016 HSC examination. Too often amazing HSC artworks, the products of months of concentrated effort and the manifestations of inspiration, talent and angst, never see the light of day again after being marked by the examiners. This multi-media exhibition gives everyone an opportunity to celebrate and marvel at the high standards and diversity achieved by local Year 12 Visual Arts students.
12 NOVEMBER - 22 JANUARY '17
NGU-NG-GILA-NHA:
GIVE TO EACH OTHER
Ngu-Ng-Gila-Nha: Give to Each Other is an exhibition in the WPCC Community Arts Centre of artworks by local primary school students. The highly diverse and beautiful artworks were produced by the students during a visual arts project which engaged them in local Wiradjuri Aboriginal art practice, language and culture. The students and their teachers were inspired by specialist workshops supported by the Arts Unit of the NSW Department of Education and Communities, a tour of the Western Plains Cultural Centre collection, and a virtual excursion of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander collection at the Art Gallery of NSW.
Cudgegong Valley Public School, Detail from Cudgee Landscape 2016, ink on paper.
12 NOVEMBER - 8 JANUARY '17
BELINDA MASON
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Unfinished Business reveals the stories of 30 people with disability from Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Through their involvement in the project each participant draws much-needed attention to critical issues that impact on their lives. Each participant’s story is complex and intertwined with Australia’s political and social history, which has resulted in today’s high rates of disability in Aboriginal and Torres Strait communities.
Belinda Mason, Aunty Gayle, 2012, 3D holographic lenticular
15 OCTOBER - 4 DECEMBER
MATILDA JULIAN
A ROOM OF HER OWN
This exhibition is inspired by Virginia Woolf’s 1929 essay “A Room of one’s own" containing Woolf’s theory that for a woman to create a great work (in the arts) it is mandatory for her to have a degree of financial independence and an uninterrupted room of her own. Matilda Julian explores what this ‘room of her own’ could be today, finding inspiration in the genres of still life and landscape painting. The exhibition represents a move towards figurative subjects, concentrating on the study of the female nude.
Matilda Julian, Body Study 1,2016, oil on canvas on board. Photo courtesy of the artist
A HomeGround exhibition
8 OCTOBER - 27 NOVEMBER
OLD LAND
NEW MARKS
Old Land, New Marks is a new exhibition featuring the work of regional NSW Aboriginal artists specially commissioned for ARTLANDS Dubbo, 2016 and opening at the Western Plain Cultural Centre 5 October. Djon Mundine OAM, renowned independent Bandjalung curator will explore the premise that we live not in the past nor the future but in the active ‘now’! This art has a story and a meaning for everything in our contemporary lives.
Sunrise Station Band 1909
Collaborative work by 38 descendants of the band based on 1909 photograph. Coordinated by Djon Mundine and Julie Slavin. Used with permission. Manning Regional Art Gallery.
24 SEPTEMBER - 27 NOVEMBER
CADENCE
THE WPCC COLLECTION
Exhibition Tour
Thursday 20 October | 6pm
Collections speak of permanence; they capture objects, gathering them together from various times and places. We expect them to act as a marker or guide, telling us about the world they came from. How should we view collections made over time with the input of many people? Does this add diversity and richness to a collection or do competing agendas dilute its value?
We look at collections as flowing, transitory experiences. They shift overtime, having periods of great activity followed by periods of great quiet. The collection of the Western Plains Cultural has been touched by this ebb and flow. As a collection that has grown primarily through donation, it contains works that have originated from a myriad of sources and for a variety of reasons. There are works in the collection that could now be seen as anachronistic, there are works that respond to current ideas and trends. They exist side by side but can they share the same space as equals? Cadence aims to show the rhythms of the collection, its flowing nature through time, taste and function to demonstrate that divergence can be a strength.
A Western Plains Cultural Centre exhibition
6 AUGUST - 6 NOVEMBER
RISK & REWARD
25 YEARS OF CIRCUS WEST
In 2016 Circus West celebrates 25 years of helping young people in school and life through the extraordinary performances seen in the circus. Founded in 1991 by its Director Paul Woodhead, Circus West has given thousands of students the confidence to take risks and enjoy the rewards. Based at the Delroy Campus of Dubbo College, Circus West’s influence has spread well beyond the schoolyard fence and Risk & Reward is both a chronological history of the Circus West as well as a celebration of the achievements of Circus itself and the students who have moved through its tent.
6 AUGUST - 9 OCTOBER
ALESHIA LONSDALE
DHUULUU-YALA
(TALK STRAIGHT)
Dhuuluu-Yala explores the Child Protection system in New South Wales, highlighting the high rate of removal of Aboriginal children from their families and communities. Lonsdale hopes to give a voice to the families within the system as well as looking at the broader social and cultural impacts of government policy within Family and Community Services. Based in Mudgee, NSW, Lonsdale started out as a painter and weaver, and in Dhuuluu-Yala continues her exploration of installation and sculptural works in this powerful and thought-provoking exhibition.
Aleshia Lonsdale, So many Children, 2016, mixed media. Photo by Alex Wisser
A HomeGround exhibition
13 AUGUST - 2 OCTOBER
NATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHIC PORTRAIT PRIZE
A National Portrait Gallery exhibition
The National Photographic Portrait Prize is a prize held by the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra, ACT. Held annually, the exhibition is selected from a national field of entries that reflect the distinctive vision of Australia's aspiring and professional portrait photographers and the unique nature of their subjects. This is the first time that the prize has been held at the Western Plains Cultural Centre and is a fascinating insight into Australia’s national psyche.
James Geer, Neato with Daniel, 2015, Type C print
An exhibition of works selected from the National Photographic Portrait Prize, held annually at the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra, ACT.
Saltwater Country is a travelling exhibition developed in partnership between Museums & Galleries Queensland and Gold Coast City Gallery. Curated by Michael Aird and Virginia Rigney.
13 AUGUST - 2 OCTOBER
SALTWATER COUNTRY
Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art practice is notably very different from the contemporary painting movement that has emerged from the western desert. This exhibition seeks to capture that distinctive cultural and creative experience. The resonance of the coastline is examined as the historic site of first contact and colonial engagement layers the way Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders render this meeting point between land and sea. Many reflect that it is also the site charged with more contemporary concerns over environmental change, pollution and human impact. In making artworks about these issues they are redefining the practice of caring for country in contemporary ways that create new insights and relevance for wider audiences.
Saltwater Country has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Ministry for the Arts’ Visions of Australia program, and through the Australia Council for the Arts, its arts funding and advisory body. It is supported by the Visual Arts and Craft Strategy, an initiative of the Australian, State and Territory governments. This project has received financial assistance from the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland’s Backing Indigenous Arts program. The project is supported by the Australian Government through the Australia International Cultural Council, an initiative of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade; and by the City of Gold Coast.
Daniel Boyd, Untitled, 2014, Oil and archival glue on linen. Photo by Jessica Maurer. Private Collection and courtesy of the artist
2 JULY - 18 SEPTEMBER
GLASS: art design architecture is a JamFactory touring exhibition
GLASS: art design architecture explores the most innovative and outstanding ways that glass is being used by artists, designers and architects in Australia in the 21st century and examines our relationship to this extraordinary material. The exhibition will feature art and functional objects, sculptural works, installations as well as video documentary, models and sectional prototypes related to specific interiors, buildings and environments. The exhibition will focus exclusively on Australian works and projects and place those works in a dynamic international context.
GLASS: art design architecture is supported by Visions of Australia, an Australian Government program supporting touring exhibitions by providing funding assistance for the developement and touring of Austalian cultural material across Australia.
Nicholas Foland, Blunder, 2010, chandeliers, dimensions variable. Photo: courtesy of the artist
7 MAY - 7 AUGUST
STRONG WOMEN STRONG PAINTING
STRONG CULTURE
Strong Women Strong Painting Strong Culture is an exhibition of Aboriginal women’s contemporary art from the Central and Western Deserts. Featuring the work of nearly 60 senior women artists, it includes exuberant paintings, batik, soft sculpture, carvings, etchings and tjanpi desert grass sculptures, all alive with stunning colour and energy. It reveals the success of women's art from some of Australia's most remote and disadvantaged communities, an achievement of major artistic and political significance.
Tali Tali Pompey, Ananmura Tjukurpa, 2011, acrylic on linen
This exhibition is supported by Visions of Australia, an Australian government program supporting touring exhibitions by providing funding assistance for the development and touring of Australian cultural material across Australia.
A Cessnock Regional Art Gallery Touring Exhibition
7 MAY - 7 AUGUST
WASTE TO ART
Waste to Art is an annual exhibition showcasing the creative re-use of discarded recycled materials. Engaging with the community, Waste to Art attracts school children, artists and community members who explore recycling and conserving the environment in their works. The exhibition explores the creativity of our region as well as highlighting the importance of recycling to sustainable living.
Cody Tickle, Chook Chook, 2015, mixed media
Presented in collaboration with Netwaste
4 JUNE - 31 JULY
CHRIS KUNKO
FAMILY GOLD PASS
A HomeGround Exhibition
Growing up in Adelaide, Chris Kunko would visit his Ukrainian grandparents every Sunday. Kunko’s father and grandparents were displaced by WW2 and came to Australia as refugees in 1949 and for Kunko visiting them was like a magical connection to another culture. Family Gold Pass is inspired by the contents of an old tin box recently given to the artist by his mother, filled with old photographs, immigration papers and Christmas cards and letters written in Ukrainian. Kunko uses this source material to create expressive oil paintings that investigate his family’s story of survival. Kunko’s paintings reflect his own exploration of identity and how displacement has affected generations of his family.
Image Credit: Chris Kunko, No Flowers No Chocolates (detail), 2016, oil on canvas
30 APRIL - 31 JULY
DRAWN TO DUBBO
A Western Plains Cultural Centre Exhibition
The earliest known world maps date back to around 600 BCE. They were less accurate drawings of the real world, but rather spiritual, religious or cultural interpretations of what the world meant. Since then, cartographers have increased their technical skills to make maps that are precise down to the metre or less. What has been lost however is what these precisely drawn worlds actually mean to those who live there. Drawn to Dubbo invites the community to rediscover the meaning of their city in a large scale map of Dubbo by adding their marks, their activities and their lives.
Image taken from Dekho system map of Dubbo.
23 APRIL - 26 JUNE
ANNE FERRAN
SHADOW LAND
Anne Ferran has been a leading figure in photo-media since the 1980’s and Shadow Land is the largest exhibition of her work ever held. From a career spanning 30 years this exhibition includes photographic, textile, video and text works from her most significant projects. Ferran’s work examines and re-discovers Australia’s colonial past by utilising museum collections, photographic archives and archaeological sites. She is drawn to the gaps and the silences in the records and the personal histories of those incarcerated in prisons, hospitals, mental asylums and workhouses.
Anne Ferran, Untitled from Soft Caps, 1985. Image courtesy and © the artist
2 APRIL - 29 MAY
PAUL ANDREWS
FIELD STUDIES
Field Studies is a collection of works by artist Paul Andrews, using his adopted home of Dubbo as inspiration. Field Studies captures the ebb and flow of life in the country by focusing on objects that are considered desirable, such as a prize winning meat tray or high-vis work-wear. These coveted items are shown alongside the undesirable; evaporative air conditioners and assorted domestic items, arranged on the street like sculptures, waiting for the council pick up. Field Studies reveals a secret life of Dubbo, each drawing becoming a portrait of the small and often overlooked details of daily life.
Paul Andrews Field Study #1, 2015, pencil on paper, Image courtesy of the artist
A HomeGround Exhibition
6 FEBRUARY - 1 MAY
STARS + STRIPES
AMERICAN ART OF THE 21ST CENTURY FROM THE GOLDBERG COLLECTION
Drawn from the private collection of Sydney-based Lisa and Danny Goldberg, Stars + Stripes: American Art of the 21st Century from the Goldberg Collection is a vibrant selection of new American art by some of America’s hottest young names, many of the works have been made within the last three years. The exhibition brings together 51 works across the mediums of painting, drawing, photography and sculpture and highlights the cutting edge practices of a generation of American artists that explore the creative and conceptual possibilities these mediums hold.
Dylan Lynch, Sucked in Juice Box, 2013, acrylic on steel, 53.3 x 66 x 71.1 cm. Courtesy the artist and The Still House Group.
A Bathurst Regional Art Gallery exhibition in conjunction with Lisa and Danny Goldberg, toured by Museums & Galleries of NSW. Curated by Richard Perram OAM.
30 JANUARY - 27 MARCH
KAY
NORTON-KNIGHT
THREADS
Floor Sheet
(PDF)
A HomeGround Exhibition
A recent residency in Alice Springs inspired Kay Norton-Knight to create Threads, a series of works exploring the idea of the journey: both real and imaginary. Based in Mudgee, Norton-Knight travelled to central Australia and was struck by the power of the desert landscape. Using the intense colours of the interior, Threads meditates on the line, and the way it acts as a common thread through our lives and through nature. Norton-Knight’s study of the line is manifested through woodblock prints, drawings and sculptural works.
Kay Norton-Knight, The Glow West MacDonnell Ranges NT, 2014, intaglio woodcut with viscosity roll. Image courtesy the artist.
23 JANUARY 17 APRIL
SHAPESHIFTERS
Launching in 2016, in collaboration with Western Plains Cultural Centre, Shapeshifters explores creative innovation made possible by 3D printing. Works by Australia’s leading sculptural, furniture, fashion, architectural and jewellery practitioners give us a glimpse into the future, enabling us to celebrate new ideas and inform our creative practice. Would you wear a 3D printed dress? Can you print a kidney? Join us to uncover how digital technology can change our lives.
Lukasz Karluk (Code on Canvas) HoloDecks Peaks, 2014. 3d print using MakerBot. 3d render (Credit: Lukasz Karluk). 350mm long x 270mm deep x 160mm high
A National Touring Program presented by:
Government Funding Partners:
Learning Partner:
30 JANUARY - 24 APRIL
PEN TO POWER
“Pen to Power – Map your mind to recovery is an interactive, multi-media exhibition charting journeys to recovery through mind mapping. At the heart of the exhibition is a collection of artworks produced by everyday people facing significant health challenges. Using mind maps as a therapeutic tool, the participants have brought clarity to their thoughts and begun to identify paths to positive life changes. By courageously sharing their deeply personal journeys the participants hope to raise awareness, increase understanding and inspire others facing mental or physical health issues to take positive steps towards recovery.
Elizabeth Knight Self Portrait- Blue, 2007, drawing. Image courtesy the artist.
A joint initiative of NEAMI and the Rotary Club of South Dubbo and WPCC.