Acclaimed First Nations artists exhibit, Looking Glass
Published on 18 August 2023
Wangaratta Art Gallery is delighted to present Looking Glass, a significant exhibition of works by two of Australia’s most acclaimed Aboriginal artists Judy Watson and Yhonnie Scarce.
The exhibition features paintings, video, and sculptural works that explore the elements of earth, water, fire and air.
Kokatha and Nukunu artist, Yhonnie’s Scarce’s heated and blown glass sculptures are shown alongside Waanyi artist, Judy Watson’s washed canvases, stained with earthen pigments. Together the works express the inseparable oneness of Aboriginal people with Country.
Wangaratta Art Gallery Director, Rachel Arndt said Looking Glass is an important and timely exhibition.
“Judy Watson’s work is a personal lamentation of the earth’s current humanmade predicament yet also pays homage to the ways the landscape has provided safety and sustenance to her ancestors for countless generations. Similarly, Yhonnie Scarce’s work references the ongoing effects of colonisation on Aboriginal people, on families, and on Country.
“It is a great honour to be able to present this work here in Wangaratta, as our community, like so many others across the world, continues to grapple with the precarious nature of our relationship with the environment, and our direct impact thereon. We need to continue to hear and learn from First Nations voices – those who for thousands of years have lived in harmony with the land.”
Join us for the official opening celebration on Friday 25 August from 5.30pm at Wangaratta Art Gallery. To book your free ticket, please visit: www.wangarattaartgallery.com.au
Looking Glass is open to the public from 26 August to 22 October 2023 in Gallery1, Wangaratta Art Gallery, located at 56 Ovens Street, Wangaratta. Gallery hours are Tuesday – Sunday, 10am - 4pm.
Yhonnie Scarce, Only a mother could love them 2016, hand blown glass, 25.0 x 15.0 cm diameter each (variable sizes - approx.) Monash University Collection.
Purchased by the Monash Business School 2017; Courtesy of Monash University Museum of Art; Courtesy of the artist and THIS IS NO FANTASY, Melbourne.
Looking Glass has been organised by Ikon and TarraWarra Museum of Art with curator Hetti Perkins. This project has been assisted by the Australian Government’s Visions of Australia program, is supported by the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria, as well as receiving development assistance from NETS Victoria’s Exhibition Development Fund 2019, supported by the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria, and by Creative Partnerships Australia through the Australian Cultural Fund. Looking Glass: Judy Watson and Yhonnie Scarce is only possible thanks to the generous support of TarraWarra Museum of Art’s major exhibition partner, The Balnaves Foundation.