Media releases

Federation University Australia’s Arts Academy has announced two exhibitions to celebrate NAIDOC Week 2017.
 
The Post Office Gallery will host two exhibitions by Indigenous Artists Deanne Gilson’s solo exhibition In Between The Object and the Gaze and a group exhibition Inside Out Dreaming featuring works by Indigenous artists from Federation College.

“We proudly acknowledge and celebrate 60,000 years of Indigenous culture, creativity and ingenuity,” Federation University Australia’s Arts Academy Director, Bryce Ives, said.

“The two exhibitions showcase the extraordinary talents of Indigenous artists. It provides our community with time and space to contemplate, reflect and to understand Indigenous sovereignty."

DEANNE GILSON
IN BETWEEN THE OBJECT AND THE GAZE

Thursday 6 July 2017 at 5.30 for 6pm start 

Post Office Box Theatre. Enter through the Post Office Gallery

Deanne Gilson is a proud Wadawurrung woman who lives and works in Ballarat. Her art practice and research is concerned with the objectification of Aboriginal women by the male colonial gaze and traditional ‘women’s business’. Her recent work explores colonial disruption and the loss of family, culture, language and traditional women’s practices and how this continues to impact on Aboriginal women today.

“As an Alumni and important local Indigenous artist, Deanne Gilson’s exhibition is an exemplary body of work that is a strong expression of her Indigenous culture and current research,” Curator of the Post Office Gallery, Shelley Hinton, said.

“Deanne also has an obvious love of her medium and traditional materials, in her beautifully layered, richly textured surfaces, with ochres and home burnt charcoal, contrasted with shiny silver and gold reflective media.”

A member of an important local Wadawurrung family, for the special opening event, Deanne’s mother Marlene Gilson will provide a Welcome to Country, her son Blair Gilson will manage the smoking ceremony and her brother Barry Gilson will sing in traditional song. The opening speech will be delivered by Professor Estelle Barrett, Research and HDR Coordinator, Institute of Koorie Education, Deakin University, on Thu 6 July 2017, 5.30, for 6pm.

INSIDE OUT DREAMING 

Friday 7 July 2017 at 5.30 for 6pm start

Post Office Box Theatre. Enter through the Post Office Gallery

Through a collaboration between Federation College’s VET Visual Arts program with Ararat (Hopkins Correctional Centre) and Langi Kal Kal, Indigenous artists present their recent work in an exhibition that explores, expresses and celebrates their Indigenous cultural heritage and the significance of NAIDOC for the community.

“The art display is all about facilitating re-engagement of prisoners in creative, cultural heritage and learning activities within the prison and between the communities and by contributing to Aboriginal cultural regeneration through the Arts,” Associate Professor Shirley Fraser, Director of Federation College, said.

“It is vital that all Aboriginal students have the opportunity to have our unique cultures acknowledged, celebrated and shared with the broader FedUni community, and this exhibition plays an important role in achieving that.”

Baarlijann Dance Group have been active for the last 20 years performing around Australia. Baarlijann is made up of young children through to Elders from a range of different Aboriginal cultural groups throughout Australia. Baarlijaan is an Indigenous word meaning “platypus”- known commonly as the totem for Ballarat.

An opening celebration and Welcome to Country will be led by Uncle Bryon Powell with dancing by the Baarlijann Dance Group. Speeches will be presented by FedUni’s Bryce Ives, Director, Arts Academy Ballarat and Gippsland Centre for Art & Design, and Professor Helen Bartlett, the University's Vice-Chancellor.

“The Post Office Gallery is proud to be presenting these two exhibitions in the period annually reserved to showcase the work of Aboriginal artists, to celebrate the importance of our first nations peoples and NAIDOC, for the entire community,” Shelley Hinton said.

NAIDOC stands for National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee. The week is a time to celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and achievements and is an opportunity to recognise the contributions that Indigenous Australians make to our country and our society.

The free events showcase the work of local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists will run at the Post Office Gallery in Ballarat. 

The exhibition will be open to the public from Friday 23 June at 12pm and open for NAIDOC week, Sunday 2 – Sunday 9 July, 12 - 5pm.

Media enquiries: Brendan Carroll 03 5327 6251