Archive for January 2024
A GALAXY OF ART: Visiting 10 Victorian Regional Art Galleries in December 2023
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The regional gallery provides worlds of new experiences and inspiration for all visitors and locals. It is a hub for the building of culture and identity for both the very young and old. The regional gallery or arts centre is a uniquely dynamic and generative space that energises and underpins the soul of each community.
Victoria Cooper
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We planned our journey from northern Victoria to a coastal town in the extreme south west corner of the state for a beach holiday – Little did we know it would turn out to be a galactic journey into the rich cosmos of Victorian Regional Galleries in Victoria.
This Blog post is an illustrated and conversational report of our travels, the galleries visited and the amazing exhibitions witnessed.
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In preparing this post we wish to acknowledge and show our support of the current call for action by the Public Galleries Association of Victoria – PUBLIC GALLERIES: OUR CREATIVE HEART.
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Our Creative Heart is a campaign by the Public Galleries Association of Victoria, sharing the role and value of galleries to local communities and highlighting why greater investment from the Victorian Government is vital to sustaining these cultural hubs … Without significant change, art collections worth some $4 billion will deteriorate, community stories will disappear, gallery professionals will burn out, and millions of Victorians will miss out on access to a vibrant local visual arts culture. [From the PGAV website]
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Our first stop was Ballarat on the lands of Wadawurrung Traditional Owners. Where we met a friend and colleague for a coffee at the Art Gallery of Ballarat. New exhibitions had been installed since we were there in October and instead of the short visit we had planned we were drawn into a stellar show of works that took us into another dimension of experience and creative works.
We were deeply moved by the work of Tamara Bekier, Between Worlds, on show in the main gallery. It was wonderful to see some of our friends work on show in Whereabouts: Printmakers Respond. We also had a deep synergy with a specially curated show on the concept of artists in work and life partnerships, Significant Others.
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.We travelled to Ararat, also on Wadawurrung. Our trip plan was to spend two nights camping on Gariwerd, the Grampians National Park, BUT rain and bitterly cold weather for summer made us retreat to a motel in Ararat – So we day tripped to see some nature … at Halls Gap we overheard a couple talking about how cold they were at the campsite.
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Gariwerd Grampians National Park (Diptych) PHOTO:Cooper
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We felt happy that we decided to stay as we now had time to visit the Ararat Gallery – Textile Art Museum Australia (TAMA). Walking into the gallery just before closing, we found ourselves in yet another world with no time to discover what this gallery had to offer. So the next day we went back to the gallery to explore the rich history of Australian ceramics on show, SIXTY: The Journal of Australian Ceramics 60th Anniversary 1962–2022. Also on show was, Overlay, by Cara Johnson residing on and responding to the Otways hinterland, Gadubanud country. The next day we returned to the TAMA as part of our journey through the unknown territories of the crater lakes district.
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Next we headed towards the coast for a stop at Warrnambool. This was our first connection with the beach for some time – the last being 6 months ago in northern NSW. It was far too windy to sit on the beach and have a sumptuous fish and chip lunch (straight out of the paper wrapping), so we huddled in a sheltered spot.
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It was part of the itinerary to visit the Warrnambool Art Gallery. After walking through a makers market on the front lawn of the gallery we then entered into a completely magical space filled with the work of Mirka Mora and Lisa Gorman, To breathe with the rhythm of the heart. Then, as we visited the second gallery, we felt like we were entering a dark side of the human psyche with the show, Structures of Feeling, connecting the dark paintings of Albert Tucker and Paul Yore’s mixed media work commenting on social issues. The current director Aaron Bradbrook curated both shows. A third exhibition space presented the exhibition Maar Nation Made featuring First Nations works. These shows transported us into the wormhole of those artists’ creative minds and psychological spaces – far from the reality of a beach resort town.
Sadly we had to pull ourselves from the gravitas of these amazing shows, as we needed to get to Port Fairy for the night.
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Port Fairy Monument
Exploring Port Fairy we encountered a monument that reminded us of the presence of First Nations and the conflicts that still need to be acknowledged along with their stories and deep connection to the country. The monument commemorates the Eumeralla Wars, which were violent encounters between British colonists and Gunditjmara Peoples in this region of Victoria.
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Continuing our look around Port Fairy connection with art continued. How could we not do an orbit around the ancient volcano crater, Tower Hill to search for the Eugene von Guérard view? The painting by von Guérard from this viewpoint has been influential in the restoration of this site. At the lookout a weathered image of the painting remains on a plaque fixed to a boulder.
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BOTTOM IMAGE: Eugene von Guerard “Tower Hill” 1855 and TOP: Photo by Doug Spowart 2023
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After our epic journey, we finally landed in Nelson for a three day suspended animation to refuel, rest and consider the natural world – the Glenelg River, The Great South West Walk and the beach …
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From the outer limits of the Victorian Universe at Nelson we then plotted our return via an unchartered route to explore new territory and a rare and beautiful display of art at Hamilton Gallery and their latest exhibition Emerging From Darkness, a collaboration with the National Gallery of Victoria.
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When we arrived at the gallery we were able to participate in an informative session about the Baroque artworks in this extraordinary and astronomical exhibition – the scale of which is rarely seen in the regional Australia. We felt that visitors to this gallery could consider that they have been ‘beamed’ into a European gallery as they ascend the grand staircase to the main exhibition. The work on show went beyond oil painting and drawings as it also included musical instruments, ceramics and a large tapestry. The walls are painted richly and the art theatrically lit to add to the sensual and intellectual experience of this important exhibition showcasing the creative life of the Baroque.
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Moving on from Hamilton we glided past constellations of paddocks, forests and small pockets of native bushland until we came into land at the Victorian town of Maryborough. The sensitive restoration of a former fire station has created the Central Goldfields Art Gallery, which has become a cultural hub for the community, local children and their extended families. On show were three exhibitions and activities, which included a contemporary and strident VCE Student art exhibition and a creative workshop with children. That day we had traveled the span of art from the celestial history to the living ground of community.
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As we near the end of our journey we visited the Castlemaine Art Gallery & Museum. After we entered the gallery through its stunning art deco facade we spent time in an interesting group of exhibitions. The first, Stonework, was a thoughtful curation of material from their art and museum collection. In the back gallery there was the 2023 Experimental Print Prize that brought a different dimension to the traditional art experience.
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Next day we track our route to the Bendigo Art Gallery. As with Ballarat, this significant gallery was established from the profits of the 19th century gold rush and continued through philanthropy. It cannot be experienced as a quick flyby as there are a many galleries. On show was First Nations Photography, Essays on Earth, the 2023 Arthur Guy Memorial Painting Prize and works from the extensive collection.
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The diverse astral phenomenon of the Victorian Regional Gallery continues even after we have landed home again. We ascended the curved elevated path that leads up to the main entrance of the Benalla Art Gallery as it floats serenely beside the lake. Inside was a world of activity, three galleries with a diverse ecosystem of contemporary art. Alongside a curated show of 20th century work from the gallery’s Bennett Bequest collection to a contemporary art experience of Gonketa’s Moving Forward and Mark Dober’s plein air paintings in Wetlands.
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The next day we headed off to Shepparton Art Museum, on the unceded lands of the Yorta Yorta Nations. The architecture of this gallery is quite contemporary and stands in the landscape much like a landed sleek metal and glass space ship. After negotiating the revolving doors we climbed the formidable staircase to each the three floors. In side each of the climate controlled galleries with their typical high walls to lofty ceilings were collections of many forms of art: from the talented local to prominent European and Australian artists.
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Not far from us is the town of Wangaratta, part of the Taungurung Traditional Owners land, where we try and visit the Wangaratta Art Gallery regularly. When we were there in December, we saw a show, Beauty & Fear, paintings by Robert Hirschmann and Andy Pye, who have worked and lived in this region. The scale of work in this exhibition exemplifies the depth of creativity and arts practice in Victoria’s North East.
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Our journey to the Gallery Universe in December was not complete until we ascended a mountain also on the lands of the Taungurung Traditional Owners, Mt Buffalo, to a place of granite boulders and snow gums that is named by colonial explorers as the Old Galleries. Here we were transported to a more-than-human experience where Nature is …
Old Galleries Mt Buffalo National Park
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In conclusion
Interestingly it seems that the curated experience of vast collections from the big city art gallery is being transported into these regional gallery spaces. Much like walking into Dr Who’s Tardis or Alice’s wonderland we found ourselves in an ever-expanding universe of the history and the enormity of Art. The walls are no longer the support for hanging but have become part of art display.
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Public programmes value add to both the traveller and the local connections with these regional gallery blockbusters. Galleries with cafes have the extended experience for the visitor to spend time and engage with the cultural ambience.
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Importantly most galleries, councils and national parks acknowledge the rich and enduring heritage of First Nations Peoples ownership of the stories and knowledge of their unceded lands.
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The regional gallery provides worlds of new experiences and inspiration for all visitors and locals. It is a hub for the building of culture and identity for both the very young and old. The regional gallery or arts centre is a uniquely dynamic and generative space that energises and underpins the soul of each community.
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Victoria Cooper + Doug Spowart
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PS: We have visited other regional galleries in Victoria though there are still another 10 or so on our ‘to-do’ list … And then, as the shows change we need to go back and visit again …
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Acknowledgement of Country:
We wish to acknowledge the First Nation’s lands we have travelled across and stayed on during this journey. We respect their deep enduring connection to their lands, waterways and seas and recognise that sovereignty was never ceded. We also honour and respect their ancestors, their Elders past, present and emerging.
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© 2023 All photographs and story in this post are the copyright of Doug Spowart + Victoria Cooper.
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