25 February 2016

Shepparton Art Museum first major exhibition for 2016 Cornucopia will open this coming Saturday 27 February with the official opening to take place from 6pm.

SAM will be hosting an exhibition media preview on Friday 26 February 10.30am to 11.30am. Media will have an opportunity to talk to Melbourne based artist collective The Hotham Street Ladies who will be creating their installation which is primarily made from royal icing and fondant. Senior Curator Anna Briers and SAM Director Dr Rebecca Coates will be present and available for comment.

Cornucopia (meaning Horn of Plenty), showcases works by established and early career artists that utilise food and/or flora as an artistic medium or point of departure.

Cornucopia showcases works by Australian and international artists and collectives who utilise food and flora as an artistic medium or point of departure. The exhibition explores the production, consumption and distribution of food, as well as its socio-cultural uses and religious significance. Cornucopia complicates the art historic lineage of the still life by interrogating and raising questions around the ethics of food today. Located within the Greater Shepparton region, known as the ‘food bowl of Australia’, the show also celebrates the culinary traditions of regional Victoria.

SAM welcomes the Shepparton icon, the Campbell’s Soup can into the museum, with Andy Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup II – Cheddar Cheese (1969). The exhibition also includes Flooded Macdonals (2009) by SUPERFLEX and a specially designed vending machine, 31 dinner options while waiting for the last train home (2015) by Kenny Pittock.

As part of the exhibition program SAM will also be running a series of diverse food related programs with the community. The first program which is a recipe swap hosted by The Hotham Street Ladies, Flavours of Shepparton, taking place before the opening this Saturday 27 February 2 to 4pm at SAM. Other programs include Some Questions, A Few Stories and an Albanian Dinner, with collaborative duo A Centre for Everything and the program Apples and Pears offers a fresh look at traditional still life drawing. More information including bookings details can be found at the SAM website.

 The artists featured in Cornucopia:
Lauren Berkowitz (AU), Julie Crouan (AU), A Centre for Everything (AU), Gabrielle de Vietri (AU), Julia deVille (NZ/AU), Mishka Henner (UK), The Hotham Street Ladies (AU), Georgie Mattingley (AU), Patricia Piccinini (AU), Kenny Pittock (AU), SUPERFLEX (DK), Sam Taylor-Johnson (UK), Kawita Vatanajyankur (THA), Claire Anna Watson (AU) and Andy Warhol (USA).

 Exhibition Dates: Saturday 27 February 2016 to Sunday 22 May 2016.
Media Preview: Friday 26 February 2016, 10.30 to 11.30am
Official Opening: Saturday 27 February 2016, 6 to 8pm at SAM