Here's our Art Gallery's 2023 Exhibition Program, and arts and culture fans are in for a treat.
Commencing this month, the jam-packed program will activate our cultural venues with eight diverse exhibitions from over a dozen artists.
Our Mayor, Councillor Deirdre Diamante said the stories and perspectives of First Nations Peoples are at the forefront of the program which also includes two major exhibitions on loan from leading Australian cultural institutions.
"The program celebrates First Nations' rich cultural heritages, diversity, strengths, and roles as knowledge holders," Cr Diamante said.
The program also features exhibitions:
- highlighting lived experiences of disability and chronic illness
- exploring local ecosystems and environments
- reflecting on the experience of living between different cultures
- principally female artists
The program launches in early February with Edwina Green's immersive and poetic exhibition, Progeny. Renowned touring exhibition, Unfinished Business, arrives mid-year from the Australian Museum and features 30 First Nations people with disabilities, as they draw much needed attention to critical issues that impact on their lives. The year's exhibition program will finish with an incredible collection of moving image works from ACMI (Australian Centre of Moving Image).
Manningham Art Gallery Program 2023
Please note, event details and dates are subject to change. You can keep up to date by following our Arts Manningham Facebook page or go to manningham.vic.gov.au/gallery.
Progeny
Saturday 5 February to Saturday 18 March 2023
Progeny in its direct meaning, is to be 'the descendants of a person, animal or plant; offspring' and pulls from the artist's continued connectivity between ancestral lines and intergenerational discourse. Informed by her identity as a Trawlwoolway First Nations woman, hand-harvested and sewn kelp bags and spoken word (amongst others) communicate a delicate ancestral tribute.
Tongue - Tongs
Wednesday 29 March to Saturday 6 May 2023
Artist Soyoun Kim interplays the approximate sound of words, 'tongues' and 'tongs', drawn from her experience and perspective as a Korean-Australian immigrant whose mother tongue is not English.
Through a multisensory display of works of various mediums, including sound, video, scented tongue candles, porcelain, terracotta, bronze, and screen print, the exhibition aims to evoke the emotional effects of the lost translation of language and culture.
Pain Pageant: A Visual Chronicle of Life with Endometriosis
Wednesday 29 March to Saturday 6 May 2023
Jess Coldrey's exhibition Pain Pageant delves into the personal battle of living with Endometriosis. Through sculpture, photography, and drawing, she explores the taboos and performance surrounding the chronic illness and its average seven year diagnosis period.
Unfinished Business
Mid-May to Saturday 29 July 2023
The Unfinished Business exhibition reveals the stories of 30 First Nations people with disability. Their deeply personal stories are complex and intertwined with Australia's political and social history, which has resulted in today's unacceptably high rates of disability in Australia's First Nations communities. This was a collaborative project between participants and Artist and Social Documentarian, Belinda Mason Knierim OAM.
With thanks to Australian Museum for loaning Unfinished Business to Manningham.
First Nations Peoples should be aware that this exhibition contains images, voices, or names of deceased persons.
River
Saturday 12 August to Saturday 23 September 2023
Bridget Hillebrand's site-specific work River draws on innovative techniques using handmade washi paper, relief printing and audio, informed by the changing ecology of the Birrarung (Yarra River), which winds its way through Manningham and North East Victoria.
Bridge Under Water Lilies
Saturday 12 August to Saturday 23 September 2023
Artist Elmira Ng creates a retail space in the Gallery where stone-fired clay is currency. Western and Eastern symbolism merge in this exploration of culture and identity viewed through the lens of a second-generation Hong Kong Australian.
Beauty Disrupted
Saturday 12 August to Saturday 23 September 2023
Manningham Council's Citizen Science program inspires a new body of work by ceramic artist Matt Butterworth. These intimate sculptures question narratives surrounding function and beauty.
Between the Details: Video Art from the ACMI Collection
Saturday 21 October 2023 to Saturday 4 February 2024
A showcase of moving image artworks by Australian artists. This exhibition celebrates ACMI's vibrant collecting and commissioning program, an extensive collection of artworks available for loan by Australian cultural institutions.
