Powerful exhibition addressing trauma and grief at WAG

In Grief brings together work by artists Maissa Alameddine and Emily McIntosh, who together examine the multifaceted layers of trauma, displacement, loss, and the complexities of grief.  

Through performance, glass, photography, textiles, sculpture and installation, the artists produce works that pay homage to past traumas, loss, and sorrow. Through the processes of making their work’s act as memorials - a way to honour and preserve personal and collective memories. 

Sydney based Lebanese Australian artist, Maissa Alameddine draws from her heritage and culture to present visually rich and haunting performances, that explore displacement and migration. Her immersive video and sound works draw the viewer into cultural rituals and celebrations tied to ancestral homelands and the act of reclaiming distant culture on foreign soil. Carefully assembled objects, such as prayer rugs and traditional vessels accompany her video works and point to the inevitable loss and the effort to reclaim traditional practices experienced by many migrants. 

Melbourne based artist Emily McIntosh produces minimal glass and mixed media sculptures that examine the human condition through representations of biological and psychological structures, functions and activities involved in self-preservation, memory, vulnerability, and resilience. Her works focus on surface treatments that amplify fragility, translucency, shadow, and reflection, evoking human memory and the fleeting nature of recollection.  

In Grief is the artists’ first exhibition together, who met more than a decade ago while working in Sydney. Their friendship and the life events they have experienced, together and apart, have informed their practice and the development of their work for this exhibition.  

Wangaratta Art Gallery Director, Rachel Arndt said the exhibition is powerful and emotive:  

“Both artists’ create work that is emotive and poignant. Emily McIntosh works with materials that are both delicate and fragile, either soft or brittle, such as muslin, paper, and glass. Her sculptures are beautifully crafted and profound explorations of what it means to be human living in a very imperfect world. Maissa Alameddine’s visually and aurally evocative works draw on the migrant experience and put forward ideas around belonging, identity and tradition. 

The exhibition is a powerful exploration of resilience and hope in the face of grief and very relevant to our times.” She said. 

Maissa Alameddine, who is also a voice artist will be giving a special performance at the opening reception on Friday 1 March from 5.30pm at Wangaratta Art Gallery.  

Weaving Eucalypts Project by master weaver Liz Williamson will also open in Gallery 2 at the same time. Both exhibitions will be officially opened by Helen Newman, award winning filmmaker and projection artist. 

All welcome. To book your free ticket, please visit: www.wangarattaartgallery.com.au 

In Grief is open to the public from 2 March – 20 April 2024 in Gallery1, Wangaratta Art Gallery, located at 56 Ovens Street, Wangaratta. Gallery hours are Tuesday – Sunday, 10am - 4pm.