ARTSPACE

Artspace is about creating a conversation between the artist and the community. Located at the Griffith Regional Theatre, Artspace is an annual program of exhibitions showcasing local artists.

Each exhibition runs for six weeks and has a local connection.

Want to be part of our Community Arts Program? Contact the Gallery about exhibiting in Artspace or send us proposals for workshops, art classes, activities and presentations.

For more information please call (02) 6962 8338 or email gallery@griffith.nsw.gov.au

The Spot the War Forgot

Closes Friday 27 June

The Berrima World War One POW camp is a remarkable story of three diverse groups thrown together in a dark time of hatred.  Through homemade huts, boats, and bridges, along with bushfires, snakes, and music, these three groups lived out the ancient and difficult command to, ‘Love thy Enemies.’

Image credit: Berrima Prisoners on Riverbank (2023) Acrylic paint 900x300

 

Unscripted

Closes Friday 22 August

Welcome to my urban street photography exhibition which marks off a personal milestone for me, it is the culmination of hours spent chasing the visual poetry of everyday life. Inspired by photographers Vivian Maier, Helen Levitt and Ernest Haas`s work, and shared loved of the streets of New York. I`ve sort to blend architecture, abstraction, and fleeting, unscripted moments that often go unnoticed.

Each image holds a story, a feeling, a captured moment in time, and my hope is that perhaps, you can also get a little lost in the mystery and quiet meaning that this dream piece has helped me uncover.

Image credit: Ghost Rider (2019 Times Square NYC), Photography, Printed on Ilford Textured Cotton Rag, by Lisa Bertolin

 

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are advised that the following display contains images and names of people who have died.

We acknowledge the Wiradjuri people, the traditional custodians of the country the on which the Griffith Regional Theatre stands.

 

Reflection

A collection of artworks from the family of the late Veronica Collins 

Closes Friday 3 October

Griffith-born Wiradjuri artist Veronica Collins’ love of art developed in her youth observing the passion for art and craft that her mother had cultivated.

Veronica began her art career in the 1990’s and her work speaks to the truth of cultural, historical and socio-political narrative that challenges and upholds the inherent right to the land of First Nations people.

The collection on display has culminated from the personal archives of Veronica’s family. It ranges from her earlier work where she was working predominantly with acrylic on canvas to her later works where she practiced mediums such as painting, print-making, textiles and mixed media.
Rich with symbolism, Veronica’s artworks reflect extensive knowledge in Wiradjuri mythology, theology, politics and traditional storytelling. Her work conveys a profound connection to land and Country, with later pieces expanding this exploration through the incorporation of natural elements such as sand, alongside materials like fabric, applied with paint on canvas or board.

The work within this exhibition encompasses some of the core designs her practice would often ritually explore including waterholes, Country, Wiradjuri, dusky dawns and portals. The linear compositions of her work incorporate graphic shapes, meticulous lines and colour that is often painted in primary with black and white.

Among Veronica’s most significant contributions to the cultural fabric of our town is the eastern-facing amphitheatre wall at the Griffith Regional Theatre, which continues to resonate with the community to this day. Visitors are also welcomed to Griffith with Veronica’s artwork of the Goanna (gugaa) totem on the signage at each of the five main entrances.

The Griffith Regional Art Gallery and the Griffith Regional Theatre would like to thank the family of Veronica Collins for sharing their collection of artworks. 

Please note that the artworks on display are not for sale.

Image credit: Veronica Collins, Waterholes (Erambi), Acrylic and sand on canvas

Primavera

10 October – 22 December 
Opening event: Thursday 16 October 5:30pm at the Griffith Regional Theatre ARTSPACE.

Griffith Regional Art Gallery (GRAG) has called upon local artists to contribute to the community exhibition Primavera opening this week at ARTSPACE at the Griffith Regional Theatre. Artists from Griffith and surrounding areas have embraced the vibrant theme and created lively works that celebrate the art of Spring.

The exhibition called for artists to enter 2D works including painting, drawing, photography, printmaking or textile wall hangings. GRAG has been delighted with the range of work that artists have entered.

Coinciding with Griffith’s annual Spring Fest, the exhibition has provided local artists the opportunity to contribute to the event’s landscape by celebrating the flora and fauna of the season. 

The public is invited to attend the official opening event on Thursday, 16 October at 5:30pm at the Griffith Regional Theatre ARTSPACE

Image credit: Lisa Taliano, Pony and Peony (detail).