29 May, 2014

History Repeats at the Town Hall

The next exhibition by City of Adelaide’s Emerging Curator, Carollyn Kavanagh, is now open in the Adelaide Town Hall until 25 June.

Historia features the work of six artists who have revisited some of the lesser known events in South Australia’s history.

The artists explore a range of themes including custodianship, social history, language and material culture.

Carollyn said that ‘Historia’ is the discipline of recording and interpreting past events

“By re-writing, re-referencing and re-activating past events, Historia the exhibition responds to historic collections as well as some often untold stories, exploring aspects of our history and culture that may have been forgotten through their lack of representation in ‘authorised’ archives,” she said.

Carollyn describes the artists’ work as re-addressing history in painting, sculpture, works on paper, photography, sign painting and performance.

“Ali Gumillya Baker’s performance Tall Ships examines sovereignty, and the weight of colonialism. Ali is a Mirning woman whose family are from the Nullarbor on the West Coast of South Australia.

“Troy-Anthony Baylis investigates colonisation, referencing iconic landscape painting, while Jacob Logos uses the Adelaide Plains Kaurna language as a point of reference in his new series The Naming of Things.

“A sculpture by Gus Clutterbuck is inspired by his personal experiences of life and landscape in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara lands of Northwest South Australia and reflects on the continuing cultural collision between Indigenous and settler cultures in remote communities.

“Laura Wills’ artworks are an artistic interpretation of the iconic residential institution for people with intellectual disabilities, Minda Incorprated, while Tristan Kerr references imagery from the City of Adelaide’s Civic Collection, providing audiences with a recollection of the beauty that adorned the streets of Adelaide through the 1920-1950s.”

City of Adelaide continues to support artists and curators through its public art programs.

Public Art Round Table member and Deputy Lord Mayor Natasha Malani said, “Holding an exhibition that focuses on history ties in well with its surrounds of the historic Town Hall.

“Our Emerging Curator program is bringing some fascinating exhibitions to the city while giving our up and coming artists a chance to show their work.”

The exhibition is open until the 25 June 2014. Visit cityofadelaide.com.au/artpod for more information.

Paula Stevens